Descending Darkness: Twilight
by SYChunsa
Summary: After Majora's Mask, Link has returned to Hyrule once more to reunite with Princess Zelda. An old friend appears and prophetic dreams haunt Zelda, predicting the coming of many things. Zelda's mother. Who was she, really? LxZ UNDER REVISION
1. Prologue: Hope in the Eyes of a Queen

Disclaimer: Zelda belongs to Nintendo. I only own this plot and misc. characters.

A/N: This story is being revised for the third time to meet the quality of Twilight Ever After and the side stories already published. Inspired by the release of Skyward Sword. After I am able to play it, this story may undergo another revision to keep it as canon as possible. Be aware of spoilers!

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_**Prologue: Hope In the Eyes of a Queen**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

Once upon a time, a time before there was earth, sky, and ocean, upon this chaotic world of Hyrule three goddesses of the golden land descended. The goddess of power, Din, with her strength and hands of fire, cultivated the land and built the red earth. The goddess of wisdom, Nayru, poured her knowledge into the earth, giving the world its order. Lastly, the goddess of courage, Farore who with her rich heart, gave life to those who would protect the law of the land. When the three goddesses finished their task and returned to the heavens, they left behind them the sacred triangle of the golden land, the Triforce, and that place became the Sacred Realm. To protect the wish-granting Triforce from the evil-hearted, the sages built a temple and sealed it at the gate of time. Only the Royal Family of Hyrule knew how to gain access into the divine realm.

"Collect the three eyes of the Goddesses and place them upon their holy visage. Play the Song of Time before thy altar. Then the gate to the divine realm may open." These original instructions were whispered into the ears of the Royal Family. Such information was holy and was never to be told to the wicked hearted.

However...a terrifying force of evil whispered such words into the ears of an innocent man whose tribe had fallen to famine, drought, and plague. This man was the only male born of the Gerudo every hundred years. His name was Ganondorf Dragmire. Nobody knows who started the Great War. However, the desire for such knowledge erupted throughout the land. They waged war against each other. Bodies littered the fields like foul weeds while the water became red, dyed with blood.

The Goddesses decided that the world would need the saving grace of three of their children. Nayru chose the newborn Princess of Destiny that harbored the power of a double-sided coin, light and shadow. Farore chose the soon to be abandoned Hero of Time who harbored the power of the ancient feral instincts of men. Din knew her rash decision to choose Ganondorf as her child when he was first born would be the mistake that would cost the future of Hyrule. The Goddess of power had not given her complete blessing to Ganondorf and chose instead to grant the rest of the blessing upon the daughter known as the Horse Maiden. They stood by and watched time pass. However, the Goddesses made a single crucial mistake. A fallen soul heard of such prophecies and spread the news to the man of the Gerudo...

/

"Run, my Dear!" cried the voice of a valiant knight as he cut down a Gerudo.

A young woman holding a child cut down another warrior.

"No! I am not abandoning you!" she yelled back, her arm still poised to defend.

"You must, for the sake of our child!" he cried out as he stabbed another female fighter that had almost killed the woman fighting alongside him.

The crying of the baby drew the woman's attention. She gritted her teeth before making her decision. The woman whistled and mounted the steed that appeared. She gave a swift peck to the man with tear-filled eyes and fled the scene of carnage.

With his only aid gone, the man quickly fell to the onslaught of the female savages. He smiled at the Gerudo before unleashing his final attack. His blade flew in a rapid spin, eliminating his enemies left and right. The man fell to the ground, breathing his final breath.

The woman who had fled held felt surrounded by darkness. She hurried and dared to look back, only to find a group of pursuers. An arrow whizzed past her head. She sucked in her breath and pushed her loyal steed faster. The woman looked next to her right to find one of the Gerudo. The warrior raised her spear but was hit by a passing tree branch with a sickening crunch, followed by more sounds of bones being trampled. The Gerudo yelled something. The woman hushed her crying child before feeling something pierce into her chest. She looked down to find a blade in her chest and followed the staff to the face of a young Gerudo woman. The Gerudo's terrified eyes pierced the woman's while she let go of the spear. The spear disappeared with the mother into the distance. She looked at the trail of blood and her spoiled hands.

"I, Nabooru, have just murdered an innocent mother and her child!" she cried in despair before breaking down.

The horse collapsed at the entrance of the forest. The woman whispered an apology before pulling the weapon from her chest and putting her loyal steed out of his misery. She hurried through the wooden tunnel. The Gerudo's arrived soon afterwards only to find the horse gone and entrance nonexistant. They cursed and swore before turning around and riding back.

"Our Lord will not be pleased with this," one hissed out.

"Well, he can't be if he doesn't know," another stated.

They all chuckled and agreed.

The woman stumbled through the dark forest with her crying child. Blood began to pool in her mouth. Her vision blurred before her legs gave out at the base of an enormous tree.

"You come into the forest forbidden to outsiders," a giant voice boomed.

The mother looked up to find the tree talking to her.

"Please look after my child," she begged, her breaths quickly becoming a burden.

The tree was about to cast them back into the dark forest before he sensed Farore's protection around the boy as well as a great destiny that awaited him.

"What is thy name?" the tree asked while taking the child with his roots.

"His name is...Link. The child of Duke Leos and I, Adina: members of Hyrule's Guardian House," Adina said as she breathed her final breath, finally letting go of her child.

"Saria, come out," the tree commanded.

"Yes, Great Deku Tree?" Saria inquired with her curious blue eyes and bouncy green hair.

"Take this child. His name is Link. Place him within the abandoned house of the one eaten by the Wolfos. That way, he shall seem like one of us," the Great Deku Tree ordered tenderly.

"Yes, Great Deku Tree," Saria replied, carefully grabbing Link.

The small child hopped off the huge roots of the guardian tree. She ran over to Adina and closed the woman's eyes. Saria then took off into the dimly lit village of the Kokiri children.

/

"Your Majesty? The Queen is ready to see you," a petite nurse shyly informed.

The engulfing frame of the mighty king dismissed the nurse with a wave of a hand and proceeded to enter the room. The cries of a child filled the room.

"Your Highness. It's your child," an elderly nurse gently whispered as she handed the exhausted monarch her newborn chld.

"A girl she is," stated the oldest healer.

The queen smiled as she held her daughter, who immediately quieted down. The king hugged his beloved wife.

"She shall be named Zelda," they whispered together, snuggling closer to each other.

Nurses scurried to the messengers who took off to spread the news to the entire kingdom. Princess Zelda of Hyrule was born. However, the alarm sounded. The king kissed his wife briefly before running out with his sword. The queen hushed the crying baby. The newborn continued to squirm uncomfortably despite not crying.

The armed Hylian forces fell steadily as a hoard of Gerudos and monsters attacked Kakariko village full force. Soldiers began to lose their fighting spirit against the beasts. A commanding and reassuring voice encouraged them to push the invaders back.

"Force them back to where they came from! They must not destroy the future of Hyrule, our newborn heir Princess Zelda!" the king commanded.

With a renewed fighting spirit, the soldiers pushed back the wave with an impressive roar. The enemy retreated, caught off guard by the power of the king's words. The soldiers cheered and celebrated at their victory and the birth of their new princess. The king smiled in satisfaction before speaking to the man in charge of the aviary. He nodded and summoned the fiercest and most powerful looking hawk of all the birds. The man quickly jotted down the words of the king and tied the letter onto the hawk's leg. The hawk screeched before taking off into the night.

Within a few hours time, a cloaked figure arrived in the village, escorted by the watchguards. The watchguards left, dismissed by the king's hand gesture. The figure kissed the hawk on the beak gently and stroked its head before releasing it back to the aviary. The cloaked figure bowed before the two rulers of the land. When the figure rose back up, she spoke.

"You requested another healer. I am what was sent," she said with her calming voice.

"The soldiers are resting along the walls. Tend to them and ask any of the nurses for help," the king said.

"I shall tend to them with up most care," she replied before grabbing a couple of nurses and getting to work.

The healer worked quickly and efficiently, taking care of the soldiers in half the time it would've taken normal nurses to do. She knelt before a critically wounded knight, who had been pierced by a blade through the chest. The woman wet her hands before placing them upon the man's chest.

"Angel's hands," she whispered, igniting her hands with visible healing magic.

The two royals continued to supervise her work. Soon enough, all of the injured were tended to and sleeping peacefully. The healer rested up against the side of a house. She looked up, still covered by her hood, as the two rulers approached her. The Queen stroked her child lovingly as they spoke.

"You have done us a great service, tending to our loyal subjects. We invite you to accompany us back to Hyrule Castle as our guest," the king stated.

"Of course we'll provide lodging, food, and services. We would be honored to have such a great practitioner of the healing arts dining with us," the queen continued.

The healer smiled a gentle and flowing smile akin to a river.

"I would be honored to be your guest," she replied.

"Excellent. Excuse me, ladies. I have business to attend to for the ride back to the castle tomorrow," the king excused.

The queen kissed her husband on the cheek as he left. She looked at the healer with her red eyes.

"Would you like to hold my child?" she questioned.

"Oh, no. I-," the healer started before the queen hushed her.

The healer smiled as the baby ended up in her arms. She felt something strange about the child.

"This child is very special. I can sense a divine presence around her," the healer observed.

The queen merely smiled her secret smile, and the two walked back into the house that would serve as the inn that night.

/

"You use medicines and healing magic very well. However, your methods are unknown to me," the queen said as the three ate together in the dining room of Hyrule Castle.

"That is because I was not born and raised in this land," the healer replied.

"Ah, that explains many things. But may I ask why you continue to cover your face even inside buildings?" the king inquired.

The healer stopped eating for a second.

"My appearance also does not belong in this land. I am also still recovering from some wounds I received during my travels. I cannot heal them because they are too deep for my magic," the woman said in response to the king.

"We will not pressure you, but we have dealt with many races. You are free to show your face here," the queen said in comfort.

"Thank you. Ah, have any of you heard of a traveler looking for a woman around here?" the still cloaked woman asked.

The king and queen looked at each other for a second before replying.

"No, I'm sorry, but we haven't. Ever since the civil war broke out, not a lot of travelers pass through here anymore. If we hear anything, we'll be sure to let you know," the queen replied.

The traveling healer thanked them before gathering her plate. One of the maids pressured the healer to put them down so that she could carry them herself. The two bickered while the king laughed. However, the new mother felt sick to her stomach. Soon, the time to retire came, and the three parted.

The healer put her ear to the door of Zelda, only to hear the girl's gentle breathing and calming clink of the charms above the cradle. She dashed off with the mother arriving a bit afterward. The queen looked at the door of her daughter's room before walking to her room in the darkness of the hallway. Her shadow shifted uneasily.

/

After breakfast the following morning with the king, queen, healer, and Zelda, the three went out to the town square after the rather forced suggestion by the queen. Of course nobody could say no, so the healer smiled and waved at the knights and their families that thanked her during the little outing.

"Miss? Are you the White Sage?" asked a small voice.

The healer looked down to see a small girl.

"If that is what they call the healer that treated the knights in Kakariko, then yes I am. What I can I do for you, young Miss?" she asked.

"My mommy is sick. I heard that you can help anyone and anything. Will you help her?" the little girl continued.

The cloaked woman looked at the two monarchs, waiting for approval. They nodded.

"Sure. Take me to her, and I'll see what I can do," the woman replied.

The girl smiled and grabbed the healer's hand. She guided the group through the streets of the town to a modest house. As soon as the little girl called out, a flood of other munchkins piled around the healer.

"Oooh. She's the White Sage?"

"She doesn't look old."

"Dude! She's so tall!"

Several other comments came as well. The king and queen shooed them away enough for the group to enter the house. A man tending to a sickly woman in bed turned around.

"Y-Your Majesties!" he stuttered out before kneeling.

"I did not expect this. The captain of the Royal Guard in need of help," the queen stated.

"Rise, Captain. I've known you for years. There is no need for formalities," the king said.

The captain rose. He spotted the newly dubbed White Sage.

"Thank you for treating my men back at Kakariko," he said, bowing before her.

"There is no need to thank me, if I remember correctly, Captain Ruvelan," the healer replied.

Captain Ruvelan thanked her again.

"I came because this young Miss said her mommy was in need of urgent care," she explained.

The captain moved aside.

"Symptoms, please," the healer ordered.

"Well, my wife and I opened up this orphanage because we found out that she was barren. She seemed fine but has been working a bit hard lately. One day she just collapsed," he explained.

"I see," the healer muttered out.

She inspected her patient quickly. First she opened the woman's eye and observed it. Next the healer inspected her mouth. Afterwards she listened to the woman's pulse. The healer finished her inspection soon enough with a positive diagnosis.

"She is suffering from malnutrition and exhaustion. Keep her in bed for a while and feed her fruits and vegetables. I suggest juicy fruits like oranges for their richness. Your wife will not need my special care," the healer explained as the captain and the kids listened intently.

At the mention of no special treatment, the kids sighed in disappointment. Hearing this, the healer smiled.

"Because your such good little kids, I'll show you a secret kind of magic," the healer said.

The kids beamed in excitement. With a snap of her fingers, the healer produced white fire. She snapped her other fingers, causing another flame of white fire to appear. The healer clapped her hands together to form a miniature dragon of white fire that moved and squeaked little roars. The dragon flew past the kids before disappearing in an instant. The children clapped happily while the monarchs and captain recovered from their amazement.

"Now, be good little children and take care of your mom. If you are nice enough, maybe your mother will send you to a school that teaches my kind of magic," she said as she and the other two walked out.

"Bye, Miss White Sage!" they all yelled while their adoptive father waved.

The three waved back before returning to the castle. After their return, days turned into weeks. Then weeks turned into months. The Great War had ended with the peace treaty between the races, thanks to the King and Queen. Now, Hyrule prospered more than ever. The Gerudo had given their finest steeds to the king. Zora sold fish and other seafood at the markets. Gorons also sold minerals and precious gems they found. However, the White Sage was not seen again. Like a breeze in summer, she left a refreshing mark but disappeared as quickly as she came and her face still a mystery. Several villagers swore that the night of her disappearance, they had heard a great roar in the distance.

Despite the peace, someone had been brewing the most devious of plans: a mass assault to topple the monarchy of Hyrule. At dusk came the great and terrifying roars of creatures from the dark.

"Oh, my! What was that?" cried the voice of the stall watcher in Castle Town.

"Could it be a great storm?" came the voice of another villager.

The closed drawbridge shook.

"No...it's a hoard of monsters!" a man cried out.

Chaos broke out in the square, villagers scrambling to get away. The drawbridge burst open, splinters showering the town. Monsters of every size and shape flooded the gates. A line of Hylian soldiers mounted their spears and prepared their shields. With a yell, they charged into battle as other soldiers ushered the citizens toward the castle.

"Open the gates! Send word to the King that the town is under attack!" boomed the voice of a soldier.

The gate guard saluted and lit an arrow. He fired it off into the sky. The guard in the watchtower spotted the signal. The man sounded the alarm as a single soldier rushed to tell the King and Queen of the attack.

"Sire! The town is being assaulted by a number of black creatures!" cried the desperate and panting voice of the messenger guard.

"Understood. Captain Ruvelan!" the King beckoned.

"Aye, sir!" Captain Ruvelan saluted.

"Gather your forces and organize a rescue team to escort the civilians to the safety of the castle walls. Hurry!" the King commanded.

Ruvelan saluted before darting away, gathering as many people as he could. The group Ruvelan summoned rushed into town, their weapons drawn. Fueled by their new found aid, the town guards fought harder. The captain gathered all the civilians in a single group and herded them toward the castle. A line of soldiers defended the group as they progressed through the gate and past the castle drawbridge.

A clap of thunder resounded through the chamber the king and queen were residing in. A flash of lightning illuminated the fair face of the queen. Another flash illuminated the face of the king looking at the queen.

"Is Zelda safe?" the man asked.

"There are numerous guards posted at her door. I had a feeling that this was going to happen," the queen replied.

The king sighed in relief.

"Your Majesty, please go to your chamber to get dressed in proper battle attire," beckoned a soldier.

The king nodded as he was led away by his servants. He caught his wife's eye for a split second before leaving the room. The queen stood and walked to the exit of the audience chamber. Several figures appeared behind her and followed the queen to her room.

One of the figures stepped out to reveal the trademark silver hair of the Sheikah. Her familiar plump red lips were drawn into a thin line as her wine red eyes glowed with the three-toothed silver tattoos under them. She was rather young, look like she was in her late twenties.

"I advise that you summon them, Your Majesty," she said.

"Indeed," the queen replied.

She drew out a spiral shaped whistle and blew. The high pitched frequency went unheard to many except for the few: the few that were known as the Sheikah. Lightly colored haired heads emerged from every nook and cranny possible and bounded toward the castle.

With a storm of shadows, the creatures of the darkness fell quickly. Captain Ruvelan realized what was happening and urged the villagers inside. He saluted before turning around and pulling the drawbridge closed.

The queen stood on while on top of the rafters of the castle with her hands crossed behind her back. The same Sheikah that had suggested a summoning stood next to her.

"Impa," the queen started.

"Yes, my Queen?" Impa responded.

"No matter what happens, will you protect my daughter?" the queen asked.

"Of course. It has been that way since before Hyrule's founding," she replied.

The monarch turned to face Impa.

"Swear to me as an old friend, Impa," the queen demanded.

Impa smiled.

"Even past this life, I swear that I will," the Sheikah replied.

She turned to the side. The King of Hyrule entered the rafters in his magnificent armor. Impa bowed and slunk away into the shadows. The married couple now stood next to each other, observing the battle at the front of their gates.

"This ridiculous war caused by the greed. When will it cease?" the queen spoke, leaving the question floating in the air.

A rumble shook the walls of the castle. The king caught his queen as she fell from the tremors.

"I see no good result in this nonsense," the man stated.

The queen stood back up. Yes. Nonsense...that was it! The queen closed her eyes and searched the crevices of her brain for that spell that she always thought was nothing but nonsense when she was younger. The spell forbidden to use, too powerful for any mortal to handle

The queen looked at the king's worried face. The king turned to catch her eyes. His wife cupped her hands around his face. She gave him a swift peck to the lips before beginning to run backwards.

"What are you doing!" he yelled out in disbelief.

"Sorry my King. It is the only way," the queen said before back flipping of the rafters, her sword drawn.

The sword seemed to have come to life. It shimmered with the moon before disappearing from sight with his wife.

"No!" the king yelled in despair, rushing to the edge of the wall.

He looked down in time to see her disappear. A bright rush of light blinded him. The king shielded his eyes. Within a few seconds, the bright light faded away to reveal the rising sun. The king looked in the distance to see six hooded figures carrying his love in a darkly ordained casket. The mysterious Sheikah closed the casket and disappeared.

Dark clouds shadowed all of Hyrule as the land grieved the loss of the Queen of Hyrule. All the knights not on duty lined the walls of the castle in full armor as rain showered the land. Captain Ruvelan and his men stood guard inside the royal wing of the family. He could only look at the king with sadness as the monarch dressed in black walked down the hallway with a heartbroken expression. The queen's former guard, Impa, walked up to Ruvelan and stood next to him. The young woman's well defined muscles visibly tensed as she began talking.

"I am now Zelda's guardian, but I will not rest until I find the source of those monsters. Will you join me, Captain Ruvelan?" Impa asked.

"Even if it takes months or years, I will seek vengeance for our late beloved Queen," Ruvelan responded.

Impa cast a sad look at the king as he made his way to the royal nursery.

"We must stay strong for our King. Our late queen would want it so," the young Sheikah stated.

The king walked into Zelda's room, dismissing the guards. He cradled his lovely child in his arms. Everything from her healthy skin to her striking blond hair resembled her mother.

"Mommy won't be able to come to breakfast today..." he trailed off.

The man carried his daughter to the balcony. She squirmed as the clouds parted to reveal the sun that greeted her far too enthusiastically.

"...Queen Zelda," the king finished as he released a stream of tears.


	2. Return

Disclaimer: "

A/N 1/15/2012: The recap of the Ocarina of Time and the events briefly described after the end of the game are stated in the Hyrule Historia: the holy book of all Zelda fans. For those of you who have read this story before, read it again because it is undergoing serious revisions that will change important events in the story.

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_**Chapter One: Return**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

A healthy and muscular mare reared up with a might whinny. Her chestnut coat shimmered in the greeting sun that welcomed her and her owner home. A gloved hand patted the faithful animal. The blond took a good whiff of the air and sighed.

"It's good to be back! Wait for me a little longer, Zelda! Let's go Epona!" said the man.

Epona took off with a neigh. With her steady trotting, the young man reminisced about his adventures for the past seven years since leaving his homeland. The beautiful Princess Zelda of Hyrule had recruited his help in a different story. A man known as Ganondorf had stolen the divine relic of the Goddesses and plunged Hyrule into a chaotic and dark age. The princess and himself had plotted against the man to keep peace in Hyrule. A fatal mistake had pushed time forward seven years. In that time, the hero erased from the fabrics of time had redeemed himself and the princess. In the last act of her duty as the Seventh Sage, the princess had sent the young man back seven years to relive his lost time.

He awoke to meet Zelda for the first time again before telling her of what had transpired in the future. The Goddesses unlocked her memories of a now disconnected fabric of time while the spirits of the sages did the same for their reincarnates from the other future. To prevent Ganondorf from seizing power, Zelda sent Link away from Hyrule with the Ocarina of Time while Hyrule arrested and executed the King of Thieves. They silently promised each other a reunion in their hearts. He left to search for his dear friend that had stuck by his side in his journey as the Hero of Time, only to stumble into a land known as Termina. With the aid of the song that the princess had dedicated to their relationship, he defeated the evil being known as Majora's Mask. He wandered for another six years only to end up back where he had left with his dearest friend still nowhere in sight.

The chestnut mare started to head in the direction of the ranch but the man stopped his horse with a pull of the reigns.

"Hold on! I know how much you want to see her but she can wait. I still have a promise to keep to the Princess!" he said.

The horse snorted haughtily before galloping off towards the city with a drawbridge. The sooner the horse got over to the castle, the sooner she could see her original owner. The man raced with his mare through the bustling town. A guard blinked several times.

"No blimey way!" he uttered out.

The ruckus in the town awoke the sleeping entity within the Royal Castle. She blinked several times before turning around, away from the sun. The young woman sighed. She groaned again at the next thing that took place.

"Zelda...Princess Zelda. It's time to wake up. You'll be late for your schedule today," came the husky voice of a middle aged woman.

The princess muttered something inappropriate in Hylian.

"Haha, that's very funny. Now get up, Your Highness," the woman continued.

Zelda merely snuggled into her bed deeper.

"You leave me with no choice, Zelda," the woman muttered.

She grabbed the sheets and with one "shwoop," the woman pulled the sheets off to expose the princess in her night clothes. The response was immediate. Zelda shot up without warning and threw her pillow at the older woman. Zelda shivered.

"Hurry up and take a warm bath. We have a lot to do today," she said.

"Fine but I'm still not happy with you, Impa," Zelda said before walking to the bathroom.

Impa merely smiled her secret smile and bowed before exiting the room.

Zelda finished getting dressed and began to make her way towards the throne room. The guards and maids curtsied politely to the sole heir to the throne. The princess acknowledged them with a simple nod or a warm smile. She knocked on a set of double doors.

"Who is it?" asked the baritone voice from inside the room.

"It's me, Father," Zelda replied.

She stood back as two guards opened the doors from the inside. They bowed, and Zelda nodded in return. The princess walked down the center of the room along the crimson carpet to arrive at a set of steps leading to the thrones of Royalty. In one chair rested a middle aged man beginning to gray.

"Good morning, Zelda. Did you have breakfast today?" came the familiar baritone voice from the man.

"Yes, I did Father," she replied.

"We have many things to do today. Take a seat, my daughter," said the King of Hyrule.

Zelda nodded and proceeded up the steps. She swooshed around gracefully and took her place on a smaller throne to her father's right. The day passed by in a dreadfully slow manner until the guards announced the next person.

"Please welcome back, Sir Link of the Kokiri Forest!" a guard joyfully announced.

The princess froze and unconsciously leaned forwards. The king saw this action in the corner of his eye and smiled a small smile. A dust covered boot appeared through the doorway followed by a figure covered in a tattered cloak. His blond hair and brave blue eyes announced his official return.

"Princess Zelda, did you miss me?" he asked while smiling.

Zelda immediately stood up and jumped off the steps. Link gasped before grabbing his princess. He twirled her around before setting her on her feet. The two stayed in an embrace for a brief moment before separating.

"I've missed you Link," Zelda whispered, her eyes directed towards the ground.

"I've missed you too, Zelda," Link said, whispering Zelda where it was only audible to to the princess.

She smiled at Link's casual address before quickly changing her expression into one of rage.

"Where have you been for the past seven years!" Zelda asked in a furious manner.

"Wuh?" Link only managed to babble out.

Thankfully, Zelda's father saved him from his imminent doom.

"Zelda, what matters is that he did come back. We will have a grand banquet to celebrate his return!" the king declared eagerly.

The princess could only grumble.

After a banquet fit for dragons, Link and Zelda had a quiet moment in the courtyard. Link retold his adventures in Termina with great detail, using his arms and legs for demonstrations.

"Link, I can't believe you stopped the moon from crashing down!" Zelda exclaimed.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without the help of the Fierce Deity of Termina," Link said, a bit embarrassed.

The young hero scratched the back of his head nervously and asked, "What have you been doing for these past years, Zelda?"

"The same princess duties, but now that I'm getting old enough, the Royal Advisers have told me to consider marriage," Zelda said not too eagerly.

For some reason, the thought of Zelda's marriage to another man struck a chord in Link.

"But recently, I haven't been feeling too well. I have these episodes where my mind blacks out but my body keeps moving and talking by its own will. The maids have told me that I acted like a completely different person during these episodes. The guards have also told me that my eyes sometimes changed colors, shifting from my normal blue to a scary violet," Zelda explained.

"Do you have any idea to what it may be caused by?" Link asked in a concerned voice.

"Well, Impa did mention that I acted like Sheik from the other future," the princess replied.

"You sound skeptical," the hero observed.

"Ever since you and the Goddesses restored my memories from the other future, certain memories from when I became Sheik are blurry," Zelda said as she gently laid down onto the grass.

Link followed Zelda's example and rested beside his princess.

"We'll figure it out together, Zelda. I'm here now, and I'll make up for those seven years," Link stated with firmness.

Zelda turned her head to look at Link and smiled.

"I missed you, Link. It's been terribly boring without you," the princess said with a pout.

"Excuuuuse me, Princess, but I was off saving another land," Link replied with a smirk.

The blond haired princess playfully smacked Link's arm in retaliation as the hero faked an overly dramatic injury. Once the two settled down again, the hero gave Zelda a gentle smile.

"I missed you too, Zelda. My travels weren't quite the same without a well timed pop-in and advice from a princess in disguise," the green clad Hylian said.


	3. Demons and Angels

Disclaimer: "

A/N: Contains very slight Skyward Sword references. After all, that game is a keystone in establishing Hyrule's history.

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_**Chapter Two: Demons and Angels**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

Zelda's eyes fluttered open to greet the day after Link's return. She could hardly believe that her childhood friend had returned after many long years of wandering. The princess pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming, and she hissed. The pain was real, but Zelda was delighted.

The princess threw on her standard pink dress and fixated her crown upon her head. The clashing of swords and a familiar yell drew her attention to her balcony window. Zelda jogged over to the balcony before opening the clear double doors. She breathed in the fresh scent of the morning breeze before looking below at the courtyard to find a familiar mop of blond hair.

"Your movements leave you vulnerable. Practice stances that give maximum protection," Link's voice instructed as he helped a knight in training back onto his feet.

"Yessir!" he replied with a salute before jogging off to the training area.

"Link!" Zelda called out.

The blond head turned around to look at Zelda up on the balcony.

"Good morning, Princess Zelda!" the hero called out with a wave.

Zelda cringed at the title, but she knew it was unavoidable when in the presence of others.

"Good morning, Link! Whipping our knights into shape so early in the morning?" the princess inquired, her playfulness already emerging.

"Not quite whipping, but close!" Link replied as he put up his practice sword.

Zelda got a better look at Link and realized he was wearing a sleeveless tunic and baggy combat practice pants with plain boots. The princess was more absorbed by Link's bare arms. Even from a distance, she could see that they were well defined from years of practice wielding a sword. Her friend's back had also gotten broader and looked more like an adult. The princess realized she was staring and mentally slapped herself.

"Care to join me for breakfast, Link?" Zelda asked.

"Sure! Let me wash up, and I'll join you soon!" the blond haired lad replied before entering the castle for the washrooms.

Zelda turned away from the courtyard, only to jump as she realized someone had been standing behind her.

"Impa, I wish you would stop doing that," the princess sighed out as she stilled her heart.

"Forgive me. I don't try to give heart attacks, but your expressions are still priceless even after seventeen years under my care," Impa said, smirking a little at the last bit.

"You are a cruel guardian," Zelda replied as she walked past Impa to exit the room.

The Sheikah closed the balcony doors before following the princess out of her room. Zelda and Impa made their way to the dining hall to see Link standing in front of the doors. The princess noticed that Link was not wearing a hat or his trademark green tunic. He wore a simple maroon long-sleeved shirt instead. Zelda raised an eyebrow at this, as did Impa. Link caught their strange looks.

"The maids called my tunic filthy and stole my clothes while I was washing up. I couldn't really do anything about that," Link said as he scratched the back of his head from embarrassment.

"I could only imagine how disgusted the maids were with the clothes of a boy that traveled for seven years," Impa snorted out as she crossed her arms.

"Hey, I washed it in the stream on occasion," Link retorted.

"Okay, let's stop talking about Link's hygiene and go eat," Zelda interrupted.

The guards opened the doors to the dining hall, and the three entered the hall. They took their seats, and the servants laid out a massive breakfast. After a couple of plates, Impa stood up from the table.

"Pardon me, Princess Zelda. I have some business to take care of for the hearings today. You will be in good hands with Link, so don't you dare leave her, boy," Impa sternly commanded.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Link exclaimed, sitting up straight.

"Good response," the Sheikah stated before leaving the dining hall.

As soon as she was out of the room, Link let out a sigh of relief.

"Even after all these years, she's still scary. I thought she would be less intimidating if I got older, but that didn't happen," the lad confessed.

"You just haven't seen her soft side," Zelda replied as she giggled.

"Right...the side only you will ever get to see," Link muttered.

"Hey now. She's just concerned for me. If she really didn't trust you, she wouldn't leave me alone with you," the princess countered.

"Whatever you say, Zelda," the hero replied as he finished eating his breakfast.

Zelda finished her food as well, and the two headed out of the dining hall together. They were automatically drawn to the courtyard. Before long, the two were sitting against the same tree and looking up at the blue sky.

"You know, Link. They say that the Hylians are descended from people who lived in the sky, close to the Goddesses," Zelda said, the clouds drifting across her gaze.

"I've never heard of that legend before," Link replied as he looked at the princess.

"Stories and legends are changed and lost with time. Impa tells me that there exists a book that has recorded the original history of Hyrule. It is a book blessed by the Goddesses that has records of the history of the land even before Hyrule's founding. Impa told me this legend when I was younger," the princess stated.

"A book like that sounds very interesting," Link pointed out.

"I think so too, but Impa told me that the sky people had their own hero and holy maiden," Zelda said, her voice shifting in tone.

"Zelda, you sound almost...I don't really know. Puzzled?" the hero asked.

"I had a dream last night about the holy maiden. At least, that's who I think I saw," she replied as she turned to look at Link.

"Go on," the hero encouraged.

"I was standing in the sky alone before a mirror appeared before me. I looked in the mirror to find a girl that looked just like me except that she had bangs sweeping across her face and ribbon wrapped around two pieces of hair hanging in front of her ears. She only wore a white dress and nothing else. She pointed at herself before pointing at me. I looked down at my hands to see one normal and the other pitch black like shadows. I looked at her again and she said, "Don't be afraid." She smiled before she turned around and walked away from me, and the dream ended," Zelda explained.

The two sat in silent contemplation, pondering upon the meaning of the dream.

"Have you had similar dreams before?" Link asked.

"Ever since I started having my random bouts of losing consciousness, I always dream about shadows in some form," Zelda replied.

"Shadows..." the hero muttered.

"Impa always told me that there is a fine line between shadows and darkness. Darkness are shadows tainted with negative emotions like hate and greed. They are the absence of light. Shadows are merely the counterpart of light. Where there is light, there are shadows," Zelda explained.

"I see. That makes sense," Link replied as he absorbed the information.

Before Link or Zelda could continue their conversation, Impa entered the courtyard.

"Princess, it is almost time to begin the hearings of the people. You should start heading to the throne room," the Sheikah informed.

The princess nodded. Link jumped onto his feet before extending a hand at Zelda. She gladly accepted the offer to help her up, and the two followed Impa to the grand double doors of the throne room. The guards opened the doors to the regal room. Zelda curtsied to her father while Link and Impa bowed. The king nodded in acknowledgement, and Zelda made her way up the stairs with her two guards trailing close behind her. The princess took her seat on the throne to her father's right side. Impa handed Link a knight's sword and shield that had been hidden behind Zelda's throne, and the hero quickly put on the equipment.

The echo of the bell in one of the castle's towers announced that it was noon and time to begin the hearings. The day dragged on as the king and princess of Hyrule listened to the pleas of the people and resolved them accordingly. The royals were taking a lunch break, and the king looked at Zelda seriously.

"I looked at the list of hearings today, and I must warn you that our next hearing is more of an audience than anything. The next visitor is a prince from a foreign land. I have heard less than pleasant things about him from Impa," the king said.

"What kind of things, Father?" Zelda questioned.

"Sire, lunch break is over. We must return to the throne room," a guard interrupted.

"I see. Let us continue this while we make our way there," Zelda's father suggested.

The entourage left the table while the king continued his talk.

"His origins are questionable, as well as his mannerisms. He's notorious as a seducer of young woman around your age. I find him highly dislikable from Impa's research on him," the king said in response to Zelda's original question.

By the time the king had described him, everyone returned to their places in the throne room.

"Ah perhaps the most dislikable characteristic of them all is that-" the king started before being cut off.

"Announcing Prince Kurade!" a guard yelled.

The double doors opened and a tall and gaunt man walked into the throne room. His oily silver hair was slicked back, and it looked like a wave of disgust trailing down his back. The prince's eyes were amber and held an unreadable glint. Clanking noises caught the attention of those present in the room. The king leaned over to finish his sentence.

"He's a slave trader," Zelda's father finished.

The princess felt her blood boiling with fury at the disgusting occupation of imprisoning beings. Two large juggernaut guards held onto a long chain with many slaves attached to them while large cages with exotic animals were rolled in by other slaves. From what Zelda could see underneath the tattered and dirty cloaks, the slaves were very malnourished. Zelda could sense fury emanating from Link as he gripped Zelda's throne.

"Good day, Your Majesties. I am Prince Kurade from a far away land. I have come to Hyrule to seek the hand of the princess in marriage and an alliance with the great kingdom of Hyrule," his sickeningly slick voice said.

The princess resisted the temptation to use the training she received from Impa to break his face in.

"Welcome, Prince Kurade. And what do you offer to Hyrule in return?" the king asked, his voice noticeably restrained to the ears of his daughter and friends.

"I offer these prized specimens behind me. They fetch quite a high price and have unique skills," Kurade said.

He bowed before climbing up the steps toward Zelda. Link clenched his fist as he felt a bad vibe coming from the pale prince. The hero nearly severed the prince's head on the spot when he grabbed Zelda's left hand and gave it a kiss. When the pale man leaned very close to Zelda's face, Link's hand shot up and gripped the handle of his blade. However, a resounding slap stilled the hero.

Zelda's eyebrows were furrowed in fury as her hand hovered in the air. Kurade could not hide an expression of shock at Zelda's blatant disapproval. The princess lowered her hand and glared at the prince.

"Get close to me again and my guardian will sever your hand," Zelda hissed out, her voice filled with venom.

Link wore a hardened expression while glaring at the prince, extremely pissed that the prince had dared to touch Zelda. The prince slowly grinned as he snapped his fingers. In an instant, one of the juggernaut guards assaulted Link while Kurade grabbed Zelda's arm and twisted it behind her. The prince made his way down the stairs and faced the king who wore an expression of worry for his only daughter.

"Come down from the ceiling, Sheikah and don't try anything unless you want her head to fly off," Kurade ordered as he drew the sword at his hip and pressed the rusted and bloody blade against Zelda's neck.

Impa emerged from the shadows of the ceiling rafters and jumped down, wearing a neutral expression to mask her surprise at the prince's ability to detect her. The juggernaut stopped attacking Link once the prince got his hands on Zelda. The occupants in the room were frozen in a stand still, unable to strike while the princess was being held hostage.

"I can smell it, the light force of the holy bloodline that manifests with destiny," Kurade said as he breathed in deeply, licking his lips.

The prince's hand traced Zelda's chin and made its way down to her chest.

"Of course, the mortal body that houses it isn't that bad either," he hissed, his breath making Zelda's ear twitch in disgust, and he licked Zelda's cheek.

"Don't you dare touch Zelda!" Link roared, finally losing his cool.

"Zelda? No title? Oh ho, it seems you two are close," Kurade observed.

Zelda glared at Link, as did Impa, for making the situation worse. The hero cursed himself for making such a simple mistake. Link shifted his grip on the blade, but Kurade noticed and pressed the blade against Zelda's neck. The hero grit his teeth. At this rate, Kurade would have his way with Zelda. The young lad sent a prayer to the Goddesses for a window of opportunity to help the princess.

His prayers were answered when the rattling of chains and yelling from the slaves distracted the large guard before him. Link rammed his opponent with his shield, making the juggernaut take a tumble down the stairs. Kurade turned around to see what the commotion was about, only to see that there was a slave that had his other guard in a choke hold. The large man was swinging about to get rid of the pest, but the strangely agile slave replaced her arms holding the man's neck with her legs before flipping down and taking the dagger at his waist. In an instant, there was a snapping noise before the slave released her hold on the juggernaut guard's neck, and he fell to the ground like a freshly cut tree.

"You!" Kurade screeched, his fingers digging into Zelda's collar bone.

The princess winced, feeling Kurade's fingers drawing blood. She looked at the chaotic scene as slaves scattered to avoid being squashed by Kurade's guard while the aggressive slave used the dagger as a wedge to break the rusty chains that connected her to the other slaves. The slave turned toward Zelda before letting a smile creep on her face. The hood of the cloak shifted enough to reveal amber eyes looking into the blue eyes of the princess. The slave winked at Zelda before charging at them.

The princess saw the opportunity to escape appear when Kurade found himself surprised that the slave was very light on his or her feet. Zelda raised her foot up quickly before slamming her heel on the arch of Kurade's foot. A snapping noise resounded as Kurade's grip loosened on the princess, and Zelda quickly rolled out of the way just as the slave stabbed the prince in the shoulder. The blood that sprayed out was oddly colored black.

"Sir Link, go take care of Prince Kurade!" a knight yelled as he rushed toward the revived guard that Link had pushed down the stairs earlier.

"Much appreciated!" Link replied as he jumped over the stairs.

"Kurade is not human! Don't restrain yourself!" Zelda yelled.

The slave had managed to push Kurade back toward the stairs, and upon hearing Zelda's command, Link impaled the prince straight through the top of his head with his sword. The prince let out an unearthly wail before he turned into a pitch black creature and went up in white flames.

"Permission to kill the guard!" the knight fighting the juggernaut yelled.

"Granted!" the king replied.

The knight dodged a punch before poising his sword perpendicular to his opponent and running it through. Like Kurade, the guard turned into a black creature before disappearing in flames, as did the guard that had been taken out by the slave. Impa had checked the princess for injuries and noticed the blood seeping through her dress near her collar bone where the black creature in disguise had gripped her.

"Nobody else hurt?" Impa asked.

"No other injuries to report, Lady Impa," the knight replied with a salute.

"I like you, boy. Fearless and skilled. I have not seen you guarding the throne room before. Are you new?" the Sheikah asked as she helped Zelda stand.

"Yes, ma'am. I was promoted to Captain Ruvelan's Royal Guard a few suns ago," the knight replied.

"Captain Ruvelan? As expected. Name?" Impa questioned.

"Leon Koderu, ma'am!" he quicky responded.

"Very good," she replied before turning her attention back to Zelda.

"We need to get that wound treated. We don't know what kind of darkness may have infected it," Impa stated.

"I understand Impa, but what are we going to do with all of them?" the princess asked before gesturing toward all the cowering and uncertain slaves and animals.

The slave that had attacked Kurade stepped in front of the ragged group.

"Please help them all. They have been imprisoned for a long time," her distinctly feminine and husky voice said.

"Of course. The kingdom of Hyrule is not so heartless that it turns away those in need. But you did not include yourself. What about you?" the king asked.

"Rest...I just need rest..." she replied before her knees buckled.

Zelda tore away from Impa's side as she caught the falling ex-slave. The princess supported her with a hug, and Impa took the unconscious figure from the smaller princess.

"Come, Princess. Let us go to the infirmary," Impa stated.

Link quickly jogged over to stand next to Zelda, and the three exited the throne room. There was an awkward tension in the room as the king looked at the ex-enslaved. He gently smiled at them.

"Relax. The kingdom of Hyrule welcomes you with open arms. Now, the first order of business. Wash up while food is prepared!" he beamed.


	4. Nina

Disclaimer: "

* * *

_**Chapter Three: Nina**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

"Your Highness, please bare with the pain," a nurse quietly said.

Zelda hissed as the nurses dabbed the scratches with a disinfectant. After the wound was cleaned, Impa inspected it for any dark magic contamination. Luckily, the princess had been spared from the dark magic, and the nurses proceeded to wrap Zelda's shoulder with a roll of bandage. While the nurses finished treating Zelda's wound, the princess observed the infirmary workers getting ready to move the unconscious figure of the ex-slave to a hospital bed.

"Sir Link, please stay turned around," another nurse quipped as Impa helped Zelda get dressed.

The hero merely nodded. The nurses then proceeded to remove the cloak, and much to everyone's surprise, long sky blue hair spilled out. Zelda looked at Impa to see her reaction, but the Sheikah merely looked like she was in deep thought rather than surprised. The nurses removed the stranger's clothes, with the exception of the undergarments, and the princess noticed numerous scars and wounds marring the young woman's body. She was also very skinny like the other former slaves.

The nurses quickly cleaned the strange woman's wounds with the occasional groan from her. After a good hour, the ex-slave was in clean clothes with all her wounds treated and bandaged. She was now sleeping peacefully. Zelda had been talking with Link for that hour while Impa left to attend to some business, and she told Link that it was okay to turn around. The two walked over to the blue haired woman's bedside. From her looks, she could be no older than a few years past Zelda's age.

"She doesn't seem like she's from Hyrule," Link observed.

"Yes..." Zelda muttered as she held a finger to her lips in thought.

"Zelda?" the hero asked, his voice filled with concern.

The princess snapped out of her trance.

"Sorry, Link. Something about her feels familiar, like we've met before a long time ago," Zelda said.

"Well, there's nothing we can ask her with her sleeping. Let's take this chance to check in with your father and check on the others," the hero suggested.

"Yeah, let's go Link," the princess agreed.

Link stood up and offered his hand to the princess. Zelda gladly accepted the help with a smile, and the two walked out of the infirmary. Waiting outside of the infirmary was the knight that had helped out in the fight before. If Zelda recalled correctly, his name was Leon.

"Greetings, Your Grace. His Highness sent me to guide you to where he is with the freed," Leon said with a bow.

"Thank you, Leon. Take us there," Zelda said.

The two friends followed Leon down the hall as the guard began to talk.

"Sir Link, it is an honor to meet you," Leon said.

The hero blushed at the honor while Zelda giggled.

"Thank you, Leon, but how old are you?" Link asked.

"Seventeen, sir!" the knight replied.

"Then you can drop the sir. It makes me feel old. We're the same age," Link said.

"But you are Her Grace's champion! I must call you by title!" Leon exclaimed, his voice filled with surprise.

"Right. Well, how about this. When we aren't on duty, call me Link. Why don't you try it?" the hero insisted.

"But sir, the princess is here!" the knight countered.

"It's okay Leon. Honestly, Link and I don't call each other by titles when in private company," Zelda said, whispering the last part.

"There. You don't have anymore excuses," Link stated, his voice filled with triumph.

"Very well, S-...Link," Leon attempted as they reached the doors of the common room on the west wing of the castle.

"It could be less awkward. How about a sparring match later? You seem to be better than most of the guards here," Link invited.

"I would be honored, Sir Link!" Leon exclaimed.

The hero raised a brow.

"Sorry...Link," the knight apologized.

"Better! I'll see you later in the sparring grounds when you're off duty," Link said.

Leon nodded his helmet clad head before bowing to the princess and her guard. He swiftly turned on his heel to return to his guard post while Link and Zelda entered the room. They were welcomed by a scene filled with chattering people. One man was laughing heartily with the king, and Zelda approached them.

"Hello, Father!" Zelda said.

"Hello, Zelda. I'm glad to see that you are okay!" he replied as soon as he had stopped laughing.

"You sure seem to be enjoying yourself," Zelda commented.

"Yes, indeed. This man is Onay. He was a traveling minstrel before being enslaved. He's quite the hoot!" the king introduced.

The middle aged man bowed toward the princess and her champion. The man had a black goatee and a head full of wavy black hair that nearly reached his shoulders. He was still rather fit, presumably from the large amount of physical tasks he may have been given as a slave.

"A pleasure, My Lady. My Lord informed me that you a play an instrument?" he questioned.

"Why, yes I do: the harp. Why do you ask?" Zelda asked.

The black haired man grabbed the lute that was laying next to him before striking up a tune.

"My lady is fair. Her champion strong. May I hear your singing voice?" the man inquired through his improvised song.

Zelda laughed at the man's unique way of communication.

"Perhaps another time when I have my harp with me," the princess replied.

Onay feigned pain, collapsing backward and gripping his chest.

"The wait is too painful to bear," he sung in return.

Zelda and the others laughed as Onay continued to perform for the three. Soon, the other ex-slaves joined in on the fun.

/

The sun had set and risen for a new day. With a deep breath, a head of blue hair stirred in bed. Amber eyes fluttered open before they focused upon the ceiling. They shifted side to side, and the being concluded that she was in an infirmary of sorts. She sensed a presence next to her bed side and turned her head to face a silver haired woman. The older woman was staring at the prone ex-slave with her wine red Sheikah eyes.

"Good to see you awake," Zelda's guardian stated.

"Where am I?" the blue haired woman asked.

"You're in the infirmary of Hyrule Castle. You passed out in the throne room, so we brought you here for treatment," Impa replied.

"The enslaved...?" she questioned.

"Freed," the Sheikah answered.

The blue haired one let out a sigh of relief.

"Good," she said.

The two sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Impa began to speak again.

"I sense something familiar about you. Your mana is clean and pure white. It reminds me of a powerful mage who passed through here during the Great War," the Sheikah observed.

"And I sense something familiar about you too. But then again, there was a race I saw during the Great War much like you," the blue haired one responded.

Impa's eyes widened in what seemed to be realization.

"Your aura is identical to the healer called the White Sage. You are her, aren't you? The healer from the Great War that disappeared without a trace after the war ended," Impa stated.

The amber eyed young woman looked at Impa with surprise.

"To think someone remembered," she mumbled in nostalgia.

"I did not expect to encounter you again, especially under these circumstances," the Sheikah admitted as she poured the younger woman a glass of water.

The blue haired woman sat up and gratefully accepted the water. After taking a few sips to quench her parched throat, she arched her back in a stretch.

"I did not expect to come back to Hyrule. Much has changed. How is the Queen?" the young woman asked.

Impa's usually stoic face saddened.

"She passed during an assault on the castle by a dark force shortly after the Unification War ended," the Sheikah replied, her voice filled with agony.

"Oh, I had heard rumors, but I did not realize they were true. Forgive me for bringing up painful scars of the past," the young woman apologized.

Impa closed her eyes to regain composure before smirking and holding her chin when they reopened.

"So this is what you looked like under that cloak of yours. Your appearance is quite out of the ordinary indeed," the Sheikah commented.

"I don't believe we ever met directly. I only saw glimpses of you when in the late queen's presence. My name is Nina, a magic practitioner," the blue haired woman introduced while extending a hand.

"A pleasure. My name is Impa of the Sheikah race. I was the late queen's guard. I am now her daughter's guardian," Impa introduced as she accepted Nina's handshake.

"Her daughter? How is she? She must be quite big now," Nina asked.

"She has grown up to be a splendid woman, just like the late queen. Strong, both physically and mentally," Impa replied with a smirk.

"Oh? Strong you say?" the mage asked, letting out a sly smile.

"As opposed to the council's image of a perfect princess, I taught the princess many self-defense moves and the art of fighting," the Sheikah said, pride seeping into her voice.

"I might just have to ask the princess for a match," Nina replied with a grin.

Impa handed Nina a piece of bread. The mage refrained from wolfing it down, and she took slow bites as she slowly regained her appetite. A maid entered the infirmary with a cart of filling food like stew and cuccoo. Nina thanked the maid, and she ate the food as quickly as she could without harming herself. The maid loaded the empty dishes, and she promptly left the room as the Princess of Hyrule, Link, and the King entered.

Nina noticed the new room occupants, and they quickly came to a stop at her bedside. The first person the mage noticed was the princess who looked nearly identical to the late queen. Next she saw a young man with blond hair who she assumed was the young woman's guard. Finally, she saw the now older King of Hyrule. The mage placed a hand to her heart before bowing toward them.

"It is an honor to be in your presence. Thank you for taking care of me," Nina thanked before raising her head.

"Well met. As you must know already, I am King Richard Nohansen of Hyrule. This is my daughter, Princess Zelda," the aging man introduced.

"It is good to see you doing well, my King. It's been almost seventeen years since we have seen each other even though you may not remember me. I am Nina, a practitioner of the healing arts. I was known as the White Sage during the Unification War," the blue haired woman said.

The King's eyes lit up in recognition.

"I do remember you. You aided us greatly during the war, but you disappeared shortly after the end before we could give you our thanks," he said, his tone softening.

"Forgive me, my King. I was ambushed and enslaved after I left the safety of Hyrule Castle to continue my journey. It's been a long seven years, but I never imagined that I would return here," Nina admitted with a soft smile.

The white mage turned her attention toward the young blond haired girl next to the king and young lad.

"A pleasure to meet you, Princess Zelda. You've grown up beautifully," Nina said giving a slight bow.

Zelda returned the gesture before shyly smiling.

"Zelda, this is the White Sage that helped heal many of our wounded soldiers during the war. She was also one of the first ones to hold you after you were born," Zelda's father introduced.

The princess seemed surprised as she realized why she felt close to Nina.

"I sensed that there was something familiar about you. May I?" Zelda asked as her hand hovered over Nina's.

The blue haired woman nodded with a smile, and the princess gently grasped Nina's hands in hers. The princess closed her eyes as she felt for the mage's magic. Zelda relaxed as her soul was warmed by the familiar mana that her body subconsciously remembered.

"Yes...your soul is very warm...like it has embraced me before," the princess said as she opened her eyes and laid Nina's hands down.

"I'm glad you remember me," Nina said.

The blue haired woman finally turned her attention toward Link.

"And who's this? This is the first time I've seen him," the mage asked.

"My name is Link. I am Princess Zelda's friend and guard," Link replied as he extended a hand toward Nina.

She accepted the gesture of friendship, and Nina immediately sensed something when she touched his hand and looked at his eyes.

"I can sense that there is a lot more to you than being a friend and guard. Your eyes are fierce. Let us get to know each other at a later time, Princess Zelda and Sir Link," Nina said.

"Just Link is fine. Makes me sound old," the hero confessed.

"Haha. Alright Link. Now, I should go visit and send off the others. It's about time that they go live their own lives again," Nina said.

The maids shooed out the King and Link before handing Nina a change of clothes. At her request, the maids opted to give the mage a tunic and pair of pants as opposed to a dress, and she quickly changed after Zelda and Impa joined the two males outside of the infirmary. The mage emerged in a simple teal tunic and gray pants with a pair of black slippers. Nina followed the Hylians to the Throne Room where she was immediately surrounded and showered with thanks.

The animals purred and rubbed their faces to Nina's affectionately while the freed gave her hugs and kisses to the cheeks. Nina shyly accepted the thanks, and the excitement finally died down. Princess Zelda could not keep herself from smiling as the mage blushed and grinned. As all the freed had unanimously decided, they would leave the castle once Nina woke up to return to their homeland or go off to start a new life for themselves.

The King, Zelda, Link, Impa, and Nina accompanied the ex-slaves to the drawbridge of Hyrule Castle. They thanked the Hylians for their hospitality and bid goodbye to Nina one-by-one. Nina caressed and pet the exotic animals that had been imprisoned.

"Return to where you need to be," she whispered before she released the creatures.

They ran off in different directions to follow their instincts home, and Nina sniffled as they disappeared. The last family suddenly turned around, and the young daughter of the mother and father ran back toward the drawbridge. She came to a stop in front of Nina.

"Miss Nina, my parents and I overheard the bad demon man talking a few days ago about how a man with green eyes was looking for you. The bad man said the man was coming to Hyrule too," she said.

The blue haired woman knelt to embrace the little girl.

"Thank you," Nina said before releasing the girl.

The bundle of energy smiled.

"Now, go back to your parents. They are waiting for you," the mage said.

The girl nodded before running back to the woman and man. The three joined hands before waving at Nina with gratitude. The mage returned the wave before turning toward the King.

"Sorry, my King, but I must ask to stay in Hyrule for a while longer," the mage said.

The bearded gentleman beamed.

"It is no trouble. Please stay at the castle. I would like to talk with you over a cup of tea," the King offered.

"Thank you, my King. That would be nice," Nina accepted.

The mage suddenly toward Zelda and Link.

"And I would like to get to know you two," Nina said with a grin.

Link and Zelda smiled back with a nod.


	5. Lon Lon Ranch

Disclaimer: "

Notes: (1) Shirashi-Zelda's horse. Combination of white and storm in Japanese

A/N: A double update! Chapter 5 has been added as well!

* * *

_**Chapter Four: Lon Lon Ranch**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

"You've gained weight, Your Highness," Nina observed as she took a sip of her tea.

"Indeed. Many years have passed, and many events have taken place. My old age has made me weaker and slower than my younger days," the King of Hyrule replied.

Richard let out a sigh before taking a sip of tea

"Zelda has grown up to be a beautiful young woman. How old is she now?" the mage asked before eating a bite of her cake.

"She turned seventeen this year," he returned.

"One more year before she is officially considered an adult. I can't believe it's been seventeen years since I left Hyrule. My perception of time became distorted during my years of enslavement by that accursed demon," Nina commented, hissing at the last part.

"Kurade...what do you know about him?" the King asked.

"He was not always Prince Kurade. He was a demon that took the forms of others by stealing their appearances. The demon took the form of an older man before we came across Kurade who was on a hunting trip. Kurade was never a prince, but the demon chose to falsify his identity in order to infiltrate a certain land, which turned out to be Hyrule. Over the years, I have sensed a darkness akin to the demon stirring across the lands. There is evil afoot, and it seems to be converging around Hyrule. Please be careful, Your Highness," Nina said.

"Thank you for the warning, Nina. What will you do now that you are free?" the King questioned.

"I was informed that my dear companion is headed here. I will wait here until we are reunited, but for now, I will enjoy my freedom," the white mage replied before she stood up from her chair.

Nina gave a small bow to the king.

"Thank you for the tea, Your Highness. It is good to see you and the princess doing well in the absence of the late queen," Nina stated.

"She would have liked to see you as well, Nina," Richard replied, his voice heavy with burden.

"Your heart still aches, My King," the blue haired mage sighed out, her eyes softening at the king's loneliness.

"I was not prepared for her early departure. In an instant, she was gone, and I was left to raise Zelda for seventeen years. It seems like the Goddesses mock me, making Zelda the spitting image of her mother," the monarch of Hyrule whispered.

"Everything happens for a reason, My King. A great destiny awaits Zelda. After all, I heard in my travels that it was she that discovered the Gerudo King's ulterior motives and prevented a great tragedy from befalling Hyrule," Nina commented.

"Indeed. However, do you know what the fate of the late queen was?" Richard asked.

The mage smiled with an unreadable expression.

"The time is not right. Now, I will take my leave, Your Highness. I promised your daughter that I would see her today," Nina replied before briefly bowing again and exiting the room.

The King sighed as Nina's blue hair vanished from sight. Impa stepped out of the shadows, and she put a comforting hand on the monarch's shoulder.

"The wheels of fate are starting to turn. Zelda will find out the truth soon," the Sheikah stated.

"I'm surprised that she didn't pursue the matter when she was younger," the middle aged man commented.

/

The blue haired mage stepped into the courtyard, and the blond haired princess sat on a bench with the young lad named Link. The two Hylians waved at Nina as she closed the distance between them. It had been a couple of days since Nina had decided to stay in Hyrule, and the nurses at the infirmary had forced the healer to refrain from any strenuous activity. Zelda had visited Nina often to check up on her, and the two promised to see each other once Nina was given the okay to leave the inside of the castle.

"Hello, Princess Zelda. How are you doing?" Nina greeted, giving the young monarch a small bow.

"Splendid. It's such a nice day out today. And Nina, I've already told you to drop the title when we are in private," Zelda replied, giving a small pout.

"Sorry, sorry, Zelda! Just remember your part of the deal. Call me Nina," Nina apologized, ruffling her blue hair.

"Much better! So now that you are feeling better, I thought that I would ask Impa and my father permission to leave Castle Town!" the princess exclaimed, smiling as she clapped her hands together.

"Oh ho? And where exactly are we going?" the mage asked as Zelda and Link stood up from their bench.

"Just a light ride through the field, and I would also like for you to meet a friend of mine," the blond haired girl replied as she began to walk.

Nina followed, feeling excited about the prospect of finally leaving the castle. She sensed a presence behind her, and she turned around to only find Impa standing behind them. The mage stumbled backward in surprise while Link and Zelda, accustomed to Impa's ability to pop up out of nowhere, merely greeted her.

"Lady Impa, you nearly gave me a heart attack," Nina muttered as she clutched her chest.

"I tend to have that effect on people. Anyway, what was it that you needed, Zelda?" the Sheikah asked.

Zelda smiled like a young child.

"May I go visit Malon at Lon Lon Ranch with Link and Nina today since the infirmary nurses finally let her go?" the princess asked, her blue eyes sparkling with happiness and anticipation.

Impa could not help but give in to her adoptive daughter's request.

"Yes, you may, but be careful. All I request is that you be back before nightfall. I will let His Majesty know," the silver haired warrior replied.

"Yay!" the princess cheered as she grabbed Link's and Nina's arms.

Zelda took off toward the stables.

"Thank you, Impa!" she called out before the three disappeared from the middle aged Sheikah's sight.

Impa let out a small and secretive Sheikah smile before she disappeared.

/

"Ah, it's so nice to be outside of the castle walls!" Nina exclaimed as she arched her back and threw her hands up in the air.

Link and Zelda smiled at the mage's enthusiasm as their horses leisurely galloped through Hyrule Field. Nina had been given a chocolate brown mare to ride while Link rode on Epona and Zelda rode on her white steed Shirashi (1). The princess had also changed into a tunic, pants, and boots and tied her hair up. The three eventually came to a stop in front of the gates to Lon Lon Ranch. Epona neighed impatiently before taking off like a lightning bolt, leaving Nina and Zelda to trail after the eager horse. When the two girls finally managed to catch up with Link, a red haired Hylian was smiling while patting a happy Epona.

The young girl petting Link's horse suddenly changed expressions as she looked at the dismounted hero. She pointed an accusatory finger at Link before stepping toward him. The green clad warrior took involuntary steps backward until the red head closed the distance between them in an instant.

"You! You run off for seven years! No letter or anything to let me know you were at least alive! What do you have to say for yourself, Mister?" the rancher fumed.

"I...err..." Link fumbled out.

Zelda decided to save Link from a cruel fate, and she dismounted Shirashi and cleared her throat. The red haired girl looked over, and she immediately dropped to curtsy the monarch with shock on her face.

"Y-Your Highness!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, Malon. It's been a while, but you know better than to call me by titles. We've been friends for seven years after all," Zelda greeted as she placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

Malon looked up to meet Zelda's eyes before standing and blushing from embarrassment.

"Sorry, Zelda. I just didn't expect you to be here with Link," she confessed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's fine Malon. I must admit that Link is at fault. I was angry at him too, but he was on quite a journey," Zelda stated.

The ranch girl gave Link a skeptical glance before sighing.

"I guess I'll refrain from beating him senseless. Thank the Goddesses that Zelda has a way of abating anger!" Malon snapped out at Link.

Link silently thanked the Goddesses just as Malon had instructed. The red haired girl noticed the young woman with long light blue hair standing off to the side with her chocolate brown horse. Nina walked over to the three young Hylians when Zelda motioned for her to join them.

"Malon, I would like for you to meet Nina. She is a mage that helped the Royal Family during the Unification War," Zelda introduced.

Nina extended a hand as an offer of greeting, and Malon accepted.

"Nice to meet you, Malon," the mage said with a smile.

"Likewise. Pardon my first impression. It's all Link's fault," Malon said as she stuck her tongue out at Link.

Nina laughed, and the two parted hands. The three took a seat outside of Malon's house on some crates while the red head brought out fresh milk to serve her guests. They thanked her before enjoying their drinks.

"Miss Nina. Excuse me for asking, but exactly how old are you?" Malon asked.

The mage did not respond.

"Err...sorry. I shouldn't have asked," the red haired girl said as she shook her hands in apology.

"No, it's fine. I don't really know how to answer that question. If my guess work is correct, I must be over thirty, but I'm not Hylian so time flows differently for me. Well, just think of me as being a couple of years older than you and drop the titles. Problem solved!" Nina said while grinning.

"Okay!" Malon exclaimed, returning the grin.

A rather plump and older man appeared from around the corner.

"Malon? Brought some friends over today, I see," he commented.

"Yep! Link came back!" the red head said while pointing at Link.

"Oh ho! Welcome back, my boy!" the mustached man stated.

"And Princess Zelda and her friend Nina came with him!" Malon added.

Talon nodded before his eyes nearly popped out of his head. The blond haired princess dressed in commoner clothes and her blue haired friend happily waved at Talon. He immediately dropped to a knee and bowed with his hand to his heart.

"Your Highness! I was not expecting you!" the rather rotund man exclaimed.

"Forgive me for dropping in without notice. It's been a while, Mr. Talon. How has the ranch been?" Zelda asked.

"It's been doing well!" he replied.

The princess took another sip of milk from her glass before continuing.

"I missed this milk. When do you think you'll be able to deliver some to the castle?" the blond haired girl questioned.

"I was actually going to deliver today," Talon admitted.

"I will go, Dad!" Malon suddenly exclaimed as her hand shot up.

The mustached man raised a brow at his daughter.

"You're a young woman, Malon! I refuse to let you go into Castle Town alone!" Talon replied.

Ever since she had turned sixteen last year, young men have been tossing flirtatious glances her way. She needed a guard...

"Don't worry, Dad! Link will protect me! Right Link?" the red head asked, casting Link a dangerous look.

"Err...Yes! Yes I will!" he quickly replied.

Link let out a sigh of relief when Malon turned away.

"Malon is welcome to stay at the castle!" Zelda added, smiling broadly.

Talon could not win this fight as the youngsters joined forces. He finally let out a sigh.

"You all are too much for this adult. You can go after the horses are put into the stable for the night," he said as he admitted defeat.

"Yay! Girl's night!" Malon and Zelda exclaimed as they gave each other a high-five.

Nina and Link gave each other an uncertain look before Malon grabbed Nina's wrist, and Zelda grabbed Link's. The two realized that the sun was close to setting.

"Let's get to work. Gather the horses for me, you two!" Malon exclaimed as she dragged Nina off into the stables.

The red haired Hylian instructed Nina where to put the water and hay as they got the stable ready for the horses. Malon quickly performed her share of tasks with practiced ease from years of running the farm. Curious about Zelda's friend, Nina decided to initiate a conversation with her.

"I couldn't help but notice that Zelda said you've been friends for seven years," the blue haired woman commented as she dumped a bucket of water into some troughs.

"Yep! I'm proud to say I'm one of Zelda's exclusive friends outside of the castle," Malon replied, her voice filled with pride.

"Haha. Care to tell me how you two met?" Nina asked.

"Well, contrary to popular belief, Zelda is a real tomboy. I was with my dad when he was delivering milk to the castle, and he fell asleep on the job while he left me to wait in castle town. Luckily, I ran into Zelda and Lady Impa at the castle gates. Apparently Zelda had snuck out, and Impa had just found her. They listened to my story, and I was allowed into the castle to look for my dad. He was sleeping near the storehouse...anyway, Zelda invited me to come to the castle again, and she gave me this so that I could enter the castle by will," Malon explained as she withdrew a gold necklace from her shirt.

The rancher held the necklace up for Nina to inspect. The chain and emblem were all gold. On the emblem was the seal of the Royal Family, a bird-like figure with the three golden triangles known as the Triforce above its head. On the back was some sort of inscription in an older variation of the Hylian language.

"Huh. A tomboy you say?" Nina questioned as Malon placed the necklace safely back into her shirt.

"Oh yeah. We caused all sorts of trouble for the guards. From throwing things at them to climbing trees and walls, we did just about everything. Zelda was quite the troublemaker. She was a dangerous kid, taking advantage of the fact that the guards couldn't do anything against her," Malon elaborated, laughing as she recalled her memories with Zelda.

Some horses entered the stable as Link and Zelda ran off to finish rounding up the other horses. The beasts whinnied in delight as Malon petted them and guided them into their respective holds. Nina finished placing the straw and filling the troughs as the horses entered. The blue haired woman could not help but notice Malon's closeness to the animals as they obeyed her with delight and without question.

"You seem to have a good handle on horses," Nina commented as she folded her arms and rested her back against the stable wall.

""Yeah, it's a natural talent I've had since birth. My dad has always told me that the day I was born I was already riding horses. Others bring in wild horses, and I break them with ease. They swear I'm a Gerudo...oh! You don't know a whole lot about them do you?" the red head questioned as she guided more horses into their respective places.

"Admittedly, no. I've seen a couple and heard of them during the war, but that wasn't exactly the best of times," Nina replied.

"Well, they are a race of all female warriors that live in the desert west of here. Every hundred years, a male Gerudo is born into the tribe, and that guy automatically becomes their leader. Unfortunately, the male that was born this century was plotting to do terrible things, so he was executed. Their current leader is Nabooru, who is also Zelda's friend. The Gerudo are also the most skilled race in raising horses and horseback archery. They're really beautiful with their golden bronze skin and fiery red hair," Malon said with a hint of longing.

The white mage could not help but raise a brow at the rancher's tone of voice. Malon noticed the gesture, and she wildly shook her head and hands.

"Ah, no! It's not what it sounds like! I've just...always wanted to meet them, the race that lives with horses. I feel like there is something in the desert for me among those people. They can teach me so much more about horses," the ranch girl explained as she put the last horse down for the night.

Nina smiled at Malon as the blond haired Hylians entered the stable and closed the large doors. Zelda and Link had walked in on the last part of the conversation, and the princess grinned.

"We can go visit them some time together. It's been a while since I've seen Nabooru. I'm sure she would be happy to receive guests," the princess commented.

"Really, Zelda?" Malon asked as she took Zelda's hands in hers, stars in her eyes.

Zelda laughed and nodded.

"But that's later. We should get going. Impa told me to be back before nightfall," the princess stated.

The other three nodded in acknowledgement before exiting the stable through the small door. During the time Malon and the others had been closing up the ranch, Talon and Ingo had loaded up a cart with several crates of milk. A single sturdy looking gray horse was to pull the cart. Zelda, Link, and Nina mounted their respective horses while Malon climbed onto the cart.

"Bye, Dad! I'll see you later! Bye, Mr. Ingo!" Malon called out with a wave.

The lean and plump Hylians waved back.

"Be safe, Malon!" Talon called back.

"Go!" the red head commanded while snapping the reigns.

The gray horse snorted before setting off. Zelda and the others waved goodbye to Talon and Ingo before they followed after Malon. The plump man yawned as the young ones disappeared from sight. He looked at the other ranch hand.

"Come in for a drink, Ingo," Talon offered.

"If you insist," Ingo replied with a huff.


	6. The Night

Disclaimer: "

A/N: Hello all! Just letting you know that since the school year is wrapping up, updates will be more spontaneous and sparse until finals are over. Also follow me on tumblr! You can view the link on my profile. I will be uploading future fanfiction idea sketches up like character designs and such via tumblr. I am in the process of sketching out my AU Zelda story, so expect some concept designs to be uploaded in a few weeks!

* * *

_**Chapter Five: The Night**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

Malon and company progressed across Hyrule Field with a gentle gallop. Their peaceful trek was cut short as they were suddenly surrounded by a group of bandits. Unfortunately, the bandits were not as unintelligent as many, and they kept their bows aimed at Link. The group was forced to stop, and a cloaked man who seemed to be the leader pulled up in front of them on his black horse.

"Well, well, if it isn't Princess Zelda's champion, Sir Link. What brings you out today?" he sneered.

"Who are you?" Link growled out.

"You don't know me, but you are well acquainted with my men. You had them all arrested a few months ago in the border lands," the bandit replied.

"Oh, them? They weren't much. Not very good at stealing or fighting," Link commented as he recalled how easy it was to defeat them all.

"Shut up! You're in no position to talk!" he roared as his lackeys adjusted their grip on their bows.

"Right, right. Sorry," Link said as he held up his hands.

"If you're out today with these people...that must mean the princess is you," the cloaked man pointed out, gesturing at Zelda.

"So that must mean you understand what will happen if you dare touch me, right?" Zelda questioned, her eyes turning cold as her regal face appeared.

"Quite on the contrary, I get chills obtaining something unobtainable," he remarked as his hands glided through Zelda's golden hair.

Link glared at the man as he suppressed the urge to attack the bandit. He could not afford to be careless.

"The rumors were true that Hyrule's princess is the most beautiful creature in the land," the bandit's leader muttered as his calloused fingertips traced Zelda's chin.

The hero's vision turned red as he was consumed by rage. For the impudent bandit to refer to Zelda as a mere creature was a greater crime than touching her hair. Zelda was no creature. She was a Hylian with appearances worth divinity.

"However, Lon Lon Ranch's girl isn't that bad either," he commented as he released Zelda's chin from his hold.

The princess continued to glare at the bandit as he moved on to her dear friend.

"Hair like a Gerudo, but a complexion like a Hylian. Not bad at all," the bandit observed before he finally came to a stop in front of Nina.

The foreigner raised a brow at the man and crossed her arms.

"I don't appreciate being stared at like a piece of meat," Nina stated, boldly glaring at the bandit.

"Haha. Feisty and exotic looking. Makes you all the better. You certainly look more mature than your friends," he commented as he circled Nina.

Nina noticed Malon, Link, and Zelda tossing each other glances as they plotted a way to escape the situation. Malon kept looking at the horses the bandits were riding on, and Link looked at the bandit leader before looking at Nina. The three nodded as Nina smiled in understanding. A shrill whistle startled all the horses in the vicinity, courtesy of Malon.

Chaos erupted as Epona ignored the whistle and tackled one of the nearby bandit horses as Link rammed the bandit with his shield. Nina took advantage of the confusion to spring off her horse's saddle and kick the bandit leader off his horse. Malon punched the bandit that was trying to climb onto the cart between the eyes, knocking him out with the force resulting from years of manual labor on the ranch. Zelda and her white steed took out a few bandits themselves, and the princess silently thanked Impa for her self-defense lessons.

"Zelda, go get the guards so that we can arrest them!" Link exclaimed as he knocked out another bandit.

"I'm on it!" the princess replied before Shirashi used his powerful legs to jump out of the middle of the brawl and hurried to the castle gate.

As soon as she came to a stop in front of the guard at the drawbridge, she flashed her necklace with the Royal Family insignia that was specific to the princess. He immediately bowed, realizing that it was the princess in commoner clothes.

"There are a group of bandits in Hyrule Field engaged by Sir Link. Follow me!" Zelda ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness!" he exclaimed before signaling the man at the top of the drawbridge watchtower.

The guard lit the signal fire, and within seconds, a small platoon of knights emerged from the castle to join Zelda as she headed back out to the skirmish. Much to their disappointment, Link and Nina were sitting on top of a pile of the bandits with the leader tied up with some spare rope that Malon was carrying in the cart.

"Arrest them for thievery, assault, and assault to the crown," Zelda ordered, emphasizing the last part.

"Yes, My Princess," the captain replied as they placed the bandits in chains before dragging them off to the castle.

After they were led away, the captain and one other knight remained. The two dismounted and briefly bowed before their princess.

"Are you alright, Your Grace?" the older man asked.

"Yes, I am Captain Ruvelan, but why are you out? You're not part of the law enforcement division," Zelda said.

"Well, my Dear Princess, His Majesty was worried about you, so he sent me to check up on the situation. I also brought along Leon, whom you have already met. Forgive me for saying, Sir Link, but Leon is quite the swordsman. He told me about the match you two promised each other. Let me know when you have it, so that I can watch as well," the bearded middle aged man stated.

"Understood, Captain Ruvelan!" Link said with a salute.

Ruvelan noticed the odd look the blue haired woman was giving him. Zelda noticed the awkwardness, and she stepped in.

"Captain Ruvelan, this is Nina. She was a healer during the Unification War. She's staying as a guest in the castle," Zelda introduced.

His eyes widened in realization.

"You are the healer that helped my men and my wife seventeen years ago!" Ruvelan exclaimed.

Nina's eyes also widened, and she snapped her fingers, recalling the time when she had been out with the King and Queen before meeting the captain.

"I knew your name sounded familiar. To think that we would meet again after all those years," Nina replied.

"It's nice to see you again. My family would be glad to see you too," the knight stated.

"I will come visit then," the mage replied.

Captain Ruvelan turned his attention toward Malon.

"It's nice to see you again, Malon. Coming to the castle to spend time with Her Highness?" he asked.

"Yep! Also delivering milk!" Malon replied as she checked on the bandit horses.

"Did those belong to the thieves?" Ruvelan asked.

"Yeah...I wonder what to do with them. They don't seem to want to go off on their own," Malon commented as she walked one way.

The horses followed Malon. The red head walked the opposite way, and the beasts still followed, attracted to her gentle nature.

"Err...what to do?" the ranch girl sighed out as she pet the abandoned horses that flocked around her.

"Miss Malon, you may bring them to the castle with you if you are willing to retrain them for use by the knights. We could use some new horses anyway," Ruvelan offered.

"Are you sure that would be alright? They wouldn't take up too much room would they? I could always take them back to the ranch," Malon offered, worried that she would burden the Royal House.

"I'm sure Father wouldn't mind. After all, you are the best horse trainer there is!" Zelda assured.

"Her Highness is right, Miss Malon. Besides, we now have a corral and stables of our own, a great improvement since you last visited half a year ago," Ruvelan added.

"Well then, it's settled! Let's head back to the castle. It's starting to get dark. They will pull up the drawbridge soon," the princess pointed out.

"Always the voice of reason, My Princess," the captain of the Royal Guard complimented.

"Link, can you drive the cart? I need to borrow Epona to guide the other horses," Malon asked.

"Sure thing!" Link replied as he took the driver seat of the cart.

"Be a good boy, okay Kobal?" the rancher whispered.

The gray horse snorted in confirmation, and the red head mounted Epona with practiced ease. Epona neighed happily, glad to give her original owner a lift. The chestnut mare neighed again at the abandoned horses, and they neighed in return, agreeing to follow Malon. The rancher gently patted Epona, smiling as she knew that the horse had communicated with the others. Malon took a lap around the horses with Epona before heading toward Hyrule Castle, the herd following.

/

The red head handed off the milk to the servants in the castle before heading to the castle's new ranch. After Malon had settled the horses down for the night, she joined Link, Nina, and Zelda in the castle. They all had dinner together with the King of Hyrule before parting ways to head off to bed. Of course, not everyone could go to sleep that night. Nina sat on the roof above her guest room, watching the stars and the moon in the bright night sky.

"Trouble sleeping, White Sage?"

The blue haired woman nearly jumped off the roof in surprise. She stilled her beating heart.

"Lady Impa, I would appreciate if you would refrain from hiding your presence in my company. I just lost another year on my life," Nina growled out.

The silver haired Sheikah laughed as she walked forward to stand next to the sitting mage. They accompanied each other silence before Impa spoke.

"Your reappearance in Hyrule reminds me of how many years have passed. When we first saw each other in the Unification War, I was in my late twenties. However, you don't look a day older than twenty," Impa commented.

"I am not exactly Hylian. My memory is a little fuzzy prior to eighteen years ago. Might explain why I still look twenty," Nina replied.

"Oh? And what exactly are you?" the Sheikah questioned, her interest piqued.

"I'm not really sure. That would be a question better addressed to the Goddesses. I do believe they had something to do with my arrival in Hyrule," the mage explained.

Impa contemplated on what Nina said.

"The Goddesses might have sent you here...that must mean they know of the future that will befall this land. You mentioned you had a male companion who is coming here?" the Sheikah asked.

"Yes, and like me, he lacks many memories prior to eighteen years ago. All we remembered were each other," the mage replied.

"What could this all mean? I feel uneasy for Hyrule," Impa admitted as she looked into the bright moon.

"Indeed. There is a foul wind blowing across the land. As I told you and the King before, darkness is afoot," Nina agreed.

The blue haired mage smiled.

"If it weren't for you telling me ahead of time of the late queen's passing, I would have mistaken Princess Zelda for her," she said.

"Fate is strange, making her the reflection of her mother," Impa added.

"It must have been tough raising the princess. From what I understand, you and the late queen were very close," Nina said, her voice holding a slight sense of pity and sadness.

"We were friends since childhood. I saw my dear friend in Zelda, so I could not help but love the child like my own as the last gift of the late queen. I educated Zelda, soothed her, protected her, and gave her as much motherly affection as I could," Impa replied, her usually stoic voice holding hints of love, nostalgia, and sorrow.

"Well, I must say that you have done a fine job raising her. Your little niece even has a fine young man by her side. I would be jealous if I were you," the blue haired woman teased.

The Sheikah could not help but snort.

"I gave up those things for my duty a long time ago," Impa replied.

"Come on. You must have had at least one love!" Nina pestered.

The middle aged Sheikah sighed.

"I did, but that was when I was Zelda's age. He went off to fight for our people in the civil war, and he never came back," she stated.

"Oh...sorry," the mage apologized, looking at the roof tiles in shame.

"It's long passed. No need to apologize. Besides, I knew he was going to perish protecting something he cherished. I always liked men with conviction. He had a very suitable passing," Impa comforted.

"Was he a Sheikah? I have only ever heard of female Sheikah," Nina asked.

"Yes, he was. The Sheikah men are seldom seen. They are usually performing more gruesome tasks. The protectors of the Royal Family are always female," Impa explained.

Before they could continue their conversation, a sudden spike in mana invaded their senses. Nina immediately stood, looking at Impa for an answer.

"Zelda..." the older woman whispered before taking off across the roof toward the young monarch's room.

/

_Zelda stood on the balcony of the castle. Dark winds and rain pelted down onto the earth. A shadowed figure stood next to her._

_"The time approaches when a great shadow shall descend upon the land of Hyrule," the figure said._

_"Who are you?" the princess questioned._

_"I've been with you since before your birth, your childhood, and now. You should know me by now," her gentle voice flowed out._

_"My patron deity? Goddess Nayru?" Zelda asked._

_The figure merely smiled gently and replied, "I'll be coming to your world soon. Be prepared for my arrival."_

_A blinding flash of lightning made Zelda flinch. After her vision cleared, the figure was no longer there but a shadow stood in its place. The shadow smiled with its ghostly white teeth._

_"Hello, again," the shadow whispered._

_The princess fell backwards and stuttered out, "W-Who are you?"_

_"A companion you haven't seen for seven years," it replied and engulfed the princess in shadow._

_Zelda now found herself standing in front of the castle gates with a strange sword embedded in the ground before her. Curious, the princess reached for the hilt of the blade. Icy bandages wrapped themselves around her hand. Zelda cried out as she was forced to hold the blade._

_"Hello again my companion," a ghostly voice whispered._

Sapphire eyes shot open. The princess sat holding her hand to her chest, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Zelda felt as if she was suffocating as thousands of voices surrounded her.

_"I advise that you summon them..."_

_"No matter what happens..."_

_"Swear to me as an old friend..."_

_"What are you doing!"_

_"No!"_

The princess screamed as she gripped her pounding head. Waves of magic in the form of blue energy radiated from Zelda as she tried anything she could to relieve the pressure building up within her mind. Blue mana leaked from her body like blood from an open wound as her room's furniture was tossed about. She barely registered the voices that cried out for her before Zelda was gently embraced in the familiar arms of her motherly figure, Impa.

The Sheikah began to hum Zelda's Lullaby, soothing Zelda's panicked state. The blue glow of the room faded with Zelda's magic as her state of being restabilized. The princess embraced Impa tightly, fear and uncertainty plaguing her thoughts, and the Sheikah rocked the vulnerable Hylian gently. Nina and the others looked on, having entered the room shortly after Impa.

Zelda quickly grew drowsy from Impa's voice and warmth, and she felt herself being lowered onto the bed once more. Malon gave her friend a reassuring squeeze to the hand before heading off. Nina put a gentle hand on Zelda's cheek, and when Link tried to bid her goodnight with a gesture of his own, Zelda held fast to his wrist with her shaking hand.

"Stay with me," she whispered in her half-conscious state.

"As you wish, Zelda," Link replied before sliding his left hand into her right.

Nina grabbed a chair that had been tossed to the other end of the room and set it upright for the hero. Link quietly thanked her, and Impa and Nina made their way back onto the balcony. With one last look at the princess, Impa jumped onto the roof, the white mage following. The two slowly made their way back across the roof to Nina's room. Halfway there, Impa suddenly spoke.

"Stay close to Zelda and become like a sister to her, Nina. She will soon undergo many trials. This incident is just the beginning," the Sheikah said.

Nina refrained from digging any deeper even though she knew Impa was hiding something, and she nodded her blue haired head.

"I will, Lady Impa. Goodnight," she replied.

"Goodnight, White Sage," Impa returned.

With a brief bow, Nina took off toward her room, disappearing from sight, and Impa was left alone on the roof.

"If only you were here, my friend," the lonely Sheikah whispered as she stared into the moon.


	7. The Girl Who Whispers to Horses

Disclaimer: "

Notes: (1)Madeliene Guerrier- Names of French origin. The last name means warrior in French.

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_**Chapter Six: The Girl Who Whispers to Horses**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

"Good morning children!"

Link's defense mechanism immediately shocked the hero into awakening. His piercing blue eyes snapped open as he realized that he had fallen asleep. A warmth in his left hand drew his attention, and Link saw Zelda's right hand still in his grasp. After a few seconds of Zelda's head shifting, her eyes snapped open as well, also startled by the voice. They looked over to the bedroom door to find Nina grinning.

"Oh, you two just looked too cute to disturb, but Impa insisted that I wake you up. After all, Malon woke up at the crack of dawn. It's been two hours since the sun rose. Get dressed! Malon is retraining the horses today, and she would like you two to come supervise!" Nina said before her blue hair vanished from sight and the bedroom door clicked.

The sudden stream of words that had spilled out of the mage's mouth left the two blushing and incredibly frazzled. Link gently stood up from his chair, but he paused as Zelda squeezed his hand. The hero looked into the gentle ocean blue eyes of the princess, his heart fluttering and soul warming.

"Thank you, Link," Zelda gently said.

"Mm," Link replied with a smile.

The princess reluctantly let go of Link's hand, and her hero exited the room to allow her to get ready. Now that Link had left her bedside, Zelda found no more reason to reside under the covers of her bed, so she slipped out of the warmth. The princess finally had a chance to observe her chaotic room. Couches, tapestries, carpets, desks, nightstands, and just about everything else in the room lay strewn about upside down and in other awkward positions.

Miraculously, her closet and vanity had been spared from the destruction, and Zelda carefully made her way over to pull out a simple pale blue woman's tunic embroidered with the Royal Family's crest and training pants. The princess slipped on riding boots in preparation for supervising Malon and the knights during horse training. After getting dressed, she paused before her vanity's mirror, and Zelda gently traced her reflection's jaw line.

The last time she had lost control of her magic was when she was ten. Link's presence had disappeared from Hyrule, and fearing the worst, Zelda had lost control of her magic out of fear and panic. Uneasiness pervaded in her soul as she could not help but be disturbed after her visions last night. The shadow and the voices. There was something amiss in the castle. No. Rather, there had always been something amiss in the castle, but it seemed more obvious now.

A knock on the door drew her attention away from the mirror. Link opened the door to greet Zelda, and the princess made her way over to the green clad boy. The princess exited the room, turning around to glance into her abode before going out of the day. Her vision blurred as she saw a figure with pale blond hair with dark clothes staring out from the balcony. In its hand was the sword from her dreams. Before Zelda could say anything, the scene vanished when Link closed the door.

"Zelda, you okay?" Link asked, noticing the strange flicker in her eyes.

The princess blinked, snapping out of her trance.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm just tired from last night," Zelda replied, her heart aching as she lied to Link.

The hero gave her a skeptical glance, but he decided against pointing out her obvious lie. The two stopped by the dining hall to eat breakfast before they exited the castle to the north and headed toward the new Royal Stables. Nina waved at them from her perch on a fence. The blue haired woman hopped off to match their stride.

"Good morning! Slept well?" the mage asked.

"Morning, Nina. Yeah, I guess you could say," Zelda replied.

"I don't know. You two sure looked comfortable," Nina replied, a smirk tugging at her lips.

The princess grew red as she shoved Nina. The mage merely laughed as a clueless Link watched the princess slap the mage on the arm. After a few minutes of Nina teasing Zelda and the princess chasing the mage down, they regained composure upon arrival at the Royal Ranch and Stables. A good portion of the Hylian Knights were present all dressed in knight tunics and training pants, and they bowed as Zelda passed them. Ahead, Malon could be seen talking to Captain Ruvelan and Leon. She was wearing a plain white woman's tunic as well as some tan training pants. The three ceased conversation to greet Zelda and her party.

"I'm ready when you are Malon," Zelda stated.

"Then we'll start immediately!" Malon replied with a grin.

"Attention!" Ruvelan barked out.

The soldiers straightened their posture and snapped their heels together.

"Lady Malon from Lon Lon Ranch has generously decided to retrain the horses confiscated from the bandits Sir Link and Lady Nina arrested yesterday. You have all been selected from the cavalry to select a horse that will serve you. Follow Lady Malon's instructions without question, understood?" the bearded man ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" the soldiers replied.

"Princess Zelda and Sir Link, would you please summon your mounts?" Malon asked.

The two Hylians nodded, and Link retrieved the Royal Family's ocarina from his pouch to play Epona's song. In an instant, the chestnut mare appeared, and Shirashi appeared when Zelda emitted a high pitched whistle melody. They mounted their horses easily.

"Alright. Please stand by for further instruction," Malon said.

Her two friends nodded as the red haired girl approached the large black steed that had been in the possession of the bandit leader. It neighed and reared up on its hind legs, sensing the rancher's intentions. Malon began to gently sing, calming the horse down significantly. As soon as the steed stilled, Malon took the opportunity to mount the horse. The steed immediately reared up in rebellion, trying to shake off the new human that was trying to control him.

"Malon!" Link and Zelda exclaimed.

Rather than panic like most, the rancher accepted the challenge of dominance as the steed desperately tried to maintain its freedom to stay in Malon's care without having to serve a human. The Hylian knights could only look on in awe as the red haired girl maintained her balance bareback on the horse. No matter which way the black horse bucked, Malon stayed in control. The rancher leaned down next to the horse's ear, whispering gentle words as the beast increased its efforts.

The red haired human's soothing voice slowly demolished any rebellion left in the steed, and he eventually stopped trying to throw Malon off his back. He snorted, hearing out the rancher's words.

"I can tell that you have not been treated very well. Your body bears many scars that should have healed. Here, you will be treated well. Trust me," Malon whispered.

Strangely enough, the black stallion understood the sincerity in Malon's words and quieted.

"Please tell your friends that it will be okay," she continued.

He snorted before neighing out loud. The horses gathered around him before timidly approaching Malon and nuzzling her. The red head grinned and laughed as the animals decided to trust her. Malon dismounted the black stallion, but just as she was about to walk back over to the knights, the horse bit Malon's tunic with his teeth to keep her in place. The rancher's blue eyes looked into the rich brown eyes of the proud stallion in question, and the black horse trotted over to a white mare.

The horses affectionately nuzzled each other, and the black stallion seemed to beckon Malon over with a toss of his mane. Her blue eyes lit up as she pieced together the horse's behavior. The rancher gently pet the white mare before her hands stroked the horse's stomach. Malon smiled in realization, and she gave the two horses a gentle kiss on the nose.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of her," Malon said.

The two horses butted their heads against Malon's before backing off to allow the Hylian to return to the knights. Malon mounted the black stallion again, and the entire herd followed her back to stop before the knights. She jumped onto the ground with ease before turning toward the knights.

"Remember that the horses will choose whether or not to serve you. They are all in great condition and ready to be partnered up except for this white mare," Malon said as she hugged the horse's neck.

The knights all gave the red head a questioning look.

"She will be giving birth soon," the rancher explained.

Everyone in the pasture looked at each other in surprise.

"That's why the black stallion was being very resistant. It was to protect the mare," Malon continued.

Zelda and Link smiled, their hearts swelling with pride for their friend. Of course she was the one to realize that the mare was pregnant.

"Alright everyone! Grab an apple and choose a horse!" the rancher called out as Captain Ruvelan and Leon set down two buckets of apples.

The knights did as they were told and dispersed. However, one knight stayed behind. Malon tilted her head in confusion before walking over to the knight. Much to her surprise, it was a knight with long black hair pulled back into a ponytail around her age.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to go find your horse?" the rancher asked.

The knight looked up to meet Malon's eyes, and the red head gasped. Ruvelan walked over, having noticed the scene unfolding.

"You must pardon this knight. She holds great promise, but she is very shy. She beat out more than half the boys in the entrance exam," Ruvelan explained.

"A female knight," Malon muttered, clearly surprised.

Zelda and Link had also noticed the straggler, and their horses pulled up to the scene. The two dismounted and approached the group.

"Is this the knight you have mentioned on occasion, Captain Ruvelan?" Zelda asked as she analyzed the young female knight before her.

Her long black hair was pulled back, and her brown eyes shifted nervously from side to side.

"Indeed," Ruvelan affirmed.

"There was quite an uproar when you decided to accept her to begin her training as a knight. After all, she was the first female knight to be accepted for the first time in thirty years," Zelda commented.

"And I dare to say that I do not regret that decision, My Lady. I must say that she is only second to Leon in her year of knighthood," the captain replied.

Ruvelan noticed the young black haired knight blushing at his compliment.  
"Why don't you introduce yourself to Sir Link and Her Highness, Princess Zelda?" the middle aged man suggested.

"H-Hello, Princess Zelda and Sir Link. I am M-Madeliene Guerrier (1)," her thin voice squeaked out in nervousness as she gave them a bow.

"A pleasure to meet you," Zelda replied with a gentle smile as Madeliene straightened her posture.

"Why are there not more female knights?" Link asked.

The princess smiled at Link's innocent question.

"This land has grown sexist over the years, Link. During times of peace, women gradually left the armed forces to stay home or tend to the farm. Now, it seems as if all women are expected to stay home," Zelda explained.

"I don't see that as being very reasonable. After all, the Gerudo warriors are all women, and then Impa is a warrior too!" Link pointed out.

The princess laughed.

"I agree, Link. It's nice to see a female knight," Zelda stated.

"I-It's an honor, Princess Zelda," the black haired girl muttered out.

"I might have to request a sparring match with you sometime. The other knights refuse sparring matches with me, thinking I'm too weak," the princess said, sticking out her tongue in disgust at the last part.

"They treat me like that too!" Madeliene exclaimed.

Everyone looked at her, surprised to hear her voice above a whisper.

"S-Sorry," the female knight apologized.

"No need to apologize! Now, let's find you a horse!" Malon exclaimed before she shoved an apple into the knight's hands.

Madeliene was dragged off into the crowd of horses by Malon. Eventually, the number of knights without horses dwindled, and only five horses and knights were left. Madeliene had obtained ownership of a caramel colored horse with splotches of white, and she stood by Malon as the rancher watched four out of the five knights attempt to gain possession of the black stallion. The black horse snorted in annoyance as it turned its head away from the knights. The four men gave up, flopping down onto the grass.

"He's yours if you can get him, Leon!" they said.

Leon, who had silently been standing to the side, stepped toward the proud horse with an equal amount of pride in his posture. The two locked eyes.

"I like your strength and chivalry. It would be an honor to work with you. Would you accept my offer?" Leon asked as he held out his apple.

The black stallion made no movement before snorting and taking the apple. The older men groaned as the horse accepted Leon as his master. Malon had noticed the young knight and horse synchronize breathing for a few brief seconds, and she could not help but admire Leon's ability to extend his conviction to the beast.

The rancher took a moment to take a better look at Leon. He had short dirty blond hair and green eyes. She had learned earlier that Leon was her age. The knight looked at her, and the red head turned away, blushing as she realized that she had been caught staring. The remaining knights chose their horses accordingly, and they awaited further instruction from Malon.

"Alright. Saddle up your horses. We're going to jump fences and ride around to get each of you acquainted with your new partner," Malon said.

The knights quickly put the gear on their new mounts while Zelda and Link situated themselves on top of their horses.

"Follow Sir Link and Princess Zelda's example and get used to the personality and various aspects of your horse," the rancher instructed.

Link winked at Zelda before he urged Epona into a swift gallop to clear one of the jumping fences set up near by. The princess raised a brow as she accepted Link's challenge, and Shirashi easily cleared the fence. The knights practiced jumping over the fences as Malon observed them, her voice occasionally yelling at a knight to correct their posture or keep them from pushing the horses too hard. Ruvelan and Nina sat on a wooden bench near the stables, watching the cavalry train.

"How has your wife been, Captain Ruvelan?" the mage asked.

"She's been fine. The kids are all grown up now," Ruvelan replied.

"Oh? Where are they now?" Nina questioned.

"Our daughter that brought you to us stays at the orphanage to help us run it. Our oldest son studies here at Hyrule Castle as a mage, investigating the elemental magics. He occasionally meets with Her Grace to study magic together. Our other kids are out working, sending back money even though we refuse it," the captain elaborated.

"I'm glad that they grew up well," the blue haired woman said with a smile.

After a few hours, the soldiers all took a lunch break, feeding and watering their horses. They carefully absorbed Malon's instructions on horse nutrition and rest, and after taking care of the horses, the knights broke off into groups as the castle cooks brought out food. Malon invited Madeliene and Leon to sit with her, Link, and Zelda. They took a seat in the lush green field, and Nina and Ruvelan joined them.

"Excellent job as always, Lady Malon," Ruvelan complimented.

"Thank you, Captain! It's always a pleasure!" Malon replied.

"Malon, do you know when the mare will be giving birth?" Zelda asked.

"Well, she seemed to be very close to the end of her pregnancy, I'm guessing it'll be within the week," the red head replied.

"Oh, how exciting!" the princess exclaimed as she grinned.

"Permission to stay at the castle until the mare gives birth?" Malon asked.

"Of course!" Zelda replied.

Madeliene could not help but marvel at the genuine friendship between the two girls. She had grown up with two older brothers and no sisters, so she had to act like a boy to defend herself from the terrifying sibling duo. Because of her rather gruff and unfeminine nature, she found herself to be incredibly silent and did not get along well with other girls. Her mother had noticed Madeliene's discomfort with doing anything feminine, so she suggested that Madeliene take the test to become a Hylian knight.

"You're name is Madeliene, correct?"

The young knight snapped out of her thoughts as she turned her attention toward the blue haired woman who had addressed her.  
"Y-Yes," she replied.

"My name is Nina. I helped Captain Ruvelan out back in the day. Nice to meet you," the mage introduced as she extended a hand to the shy girl.

Madeliene accepted the handshake.

"Nice to meet you too," the raven haired girl replied.

Nina smiled.

"Don't sell yourself short, Madeliene. There is a large role for you to play in the future," the mage said.

The black haired knight tilted her head in confusion and surprise. She opened her mouth to ask Nina what she meant, but Ruvelan interrupted them with an order to resume cavalry training with blunt weapons. Nina's hand left Madeliene's, and with one last confused look at the mage, Madeliene left to go train with the knights.


	8. Presence Stirring

Disclaimer: "

A/N: I would really appreciate some reviews to show your love for this story! Reviews encourage me, and I will be able to finish this sooner to upload other stories. But thanks for all the faves and alerts so far!

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_**Chapter Seven: Presence Stirring**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

"Zelda!"

Blue eyes snapped open in response to the one who called her name. She turned her head to see Link by her bedside once more. His blue eyes were filled with worry.

"Link..." the princess breathed out.

"You were feverish and sweating. I tried waking you up, but I had to yell to get you to respond," Link explained as he brushed aside Zelda's bangs.

The princess sat up as she placed a hand on her head. Zelda shook her head, trying to dispell the unease in her heart and mind.

"Nightmare?" Link asked.

Zelda shook her head.

"I'm not sure...it wasn't quite a nightmare...it was more like a premonition...the same one from the night before," the princess replied.

"P-Premonition? This doesn't seem good," Link muttered.

"I have yet to find out what it means...I'm sorry, Link. Could you leave now?" Zelda requested as she turned her head away from the blond haired boy.

Link's expression fell, and he could not hide the hurt he felt.

"O-Of course," he replied before quietly exiting the room.

Zelda noticed Link's pain, and she found herself hurting too. However, she needed time alone to find out the meaning behind her dreams. She gripped her bed sheets tightly before throwing them off and getting dressed in her standard pink dress and decorative gold armor. Impa would know more about discerning her dreams. After all, the Sheikah had helped Zelda through the time when she began to first see the prophecy of Ganondorf.

As if Impa had known Zelda would be seeking her today, the Sheikah had been waiting outside of Zelda's room. The older woman greeted the monarch with a bow before she walked with Zelda down the halls of Hyrule Castle. Impa sensed the question the princess had for her, so they made their way to the Hall of Mystic Arts where the mages approved by the Royal Family studied magic.

As soon as Zelda entered the room, the mages ceased work to bow toward their young ruler. The princess accepted their greeting before entering a smaller chamber that happened to be Impa's meditation room. Zelda's bright blue eyes widened in realization as the Sheikah placed six candles in the shape of the Triforce. Impa gave Zelda a knowing look before nodding. The young princess took a seat in the middle of the Triforce as the Sheikah lit several sticks of incense to soothe Zelda's troubled mind.

"You believe you have received a premonition from the Goddesses?" Impa questioned as she took a seat in front of Zelda.

Zelda bit her lip.

"I do not believe that it is from the Goddesses...at least not part of it," the princess replied.

The older woman raised a brow.

"After I talk with a mysterious figure who tells me of the approaching shadows, I find myself in front of the castle with what seem like moments in the past surrounding me," Zelda explained as she closed her eyes.

Thank the Goddesses for Zelda closing her eyes, because Impa could not hide her surprise at Zelda's explanation.

"Anything else?" Impa asked after she regained her composure.

"I keep seeing a sword. It's not the Master Sword or any sword I've seen before...it looks like your dagger, except longer," Zelda replied.

The Sheikah kept her face emotionless as the monarch opened her ocean blue eyes again.

"Puzzling indeed...go rest and enjoy the company of your friends. There is little we can do now. I will see what I can find out," Impa said as she cupped Zelda's cheek with one hand.

The princess nodded before standing up and saying goodbye to Impa. The Sheikah bowed her head as Zelda sent a small wave back before the door clicked behind her, and the young monarch's golden hair vanished from sight.

"A dark shadow approaches Hyrule...but Lady Nina said something similar as well. A darkness is converging around this land...yet Zelda also dreams of the past...could there be a connection?" Impa wondered out loud.

/

Feeling lonely, Zelda quickly sought out Link after eating a light meal. After asking a few of the soldiers and other castle staff members, she found herself walking toward the Hylian Knight training grounds after a quick change of clothing into a tunic and some training pants. The princess walked in, and the soldiers immediately stopped training to bow toward their monarch. Captain Ruvelan greeted Zelda with a warm smile and bow. Zelda inclined her head in acknowledgement, and he straightened his posture.

"Good morning, Your Grace. To what pleasure do I owe this visit?" Ruvelan inquired.

"The castle is abuzz with the rumor that Link was going to spar with Leon today," the princess informed.

"Ah, so you heard. It is not a rumor. Link and Leon are actually getting ready right now," Ruvelan stated.

"Permission to watch?" Zelda asked, unable to hide her smile and excitement.

"Of course, Your Majesty," the middle aged man replied.

"Ze-Err...Princess Zelda!"

The monarch turned around toward the source of the voice only to find Malon running toward her.

"I heard the news that Link would be sparring with another knight!" Zelda's best friend exclaimed.

"It's true, Lady Malon," Ruvelan replied, but he raised an eyebrow while looking at the entrance to the training ground.

The captain sighed with a shake of his head.

"It seems like the entire castle has heard," Ruvelan muttered.

The entrance and castle parapets were filled with the castle staff as they all pushed and shoved to get a good view of the arena where the match would take place. Zelda and Malon giggled, and Ruvelan released the knights from their bowing position. A couple of knights brought two chairs for the princess and her friend before they broke their practice block to line the walls.

Soon enough, Link and Leon exited the castle from different doors and approached the steps to the arena from opposite sides. Link was dressed in a green knight's tunic while Leon wore a red tunic. They accepted blunt practice swords from their fellow knights before stepping into the arena. The two stared at each other intensely, and Ruvelan stepped into the arena.

"Her Grace's Champion Link and Honored Knight Leon, are you both ready?" Ruvelan questioned.

The two boys nodded.

"Remember that this is a friendly match. Try not to get carried away. A potentially fatal blow will decide the match," the captain said.

The two nodded again before Ruvelan jumped off the arena. He raised his arm up before swiftly bringing it down.

"Begin!" his voice barked.

Link and Leon quickly charged each other and locked blades. They pushed against each other with all their might before Link suddenly stopped exerting force. Leon leaned forward as the green clad hero side stepped to strike a blow. The red clad knight quickly recovered to perform a dodge roll, and Leon succeeded in getting out of Link's range before quickly jumping to his feet and facing Link.

"Not bad," Leon stated with a smirk.

"You're not too shabby yourself," Link replied with a grin, enjoying the spar already.

The two charged at each other again, and they began a dangerous game of parrying and striking. The steel blades flashed as the two boys skillfully dueled. Everyone watching the spectacle was awestruck. Leon struck with finesse from years of formal training while Link returned the strikes earned from real combat experience against monsters. The two seemed evenly matched.

"This is the longest anyone else has lasted against me in a spar," Leon commented.

"Same...except for the person part. Monsters never lasted this long," Link replied.

"Training versus experience. Who will win?" Zelda wondered as she watched the two knights duel.

"Quite a match, huh Princess?"

The monarch turned toward the side as Nina approached them.

"Nina!" Zelda exclaimed.

"The one and only. I'm glad I made it on time," the mage commented as she sat on Malon's armrest.

"What kept you?" the rancher questioned.

Zelda noticed a strange flicker pass through Nina's eyes for a split second before the mage replied.

"Just overslept. Bed was too comfortable," Nina replied with a grin.

Malon laughed before the three returned their attention toward the match.

"Who do you think will win?" the red head asked.

The blue haired woman rubbed her chin in thought.

"Well, Leon certainly seems to have received nice training...but Link will win," Nina replied.

"What makes you think that?" Malon questioned.

"From what I've heard, Link has traveled through many places filled with dangerous creatures and people. There are things you can only learn by fighting in real situations. From the looks of it, both of them are just playing around," the mage said.

"T-They're playing around?" the rancher exclaimed.

"Yep," Nina confirmed.

Link and Leon both grinned as they locked blades again.

"Enough of a show don't you think?" Link growled out.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Leon replied.

"Oh come on. I know you're holding back. I'm sure the audience is bored," the hero retorted.

"You caught me red handed. How about we both back off and get serious?" Leon asked.

Link nodded, and the two quickly broke the lock to jump away to opposite sides of the arena. Leon then took a sword stance different from normal. His sword was slightly raised above his while staying parallel to the floor. The knight quickly charged, and Link readied himself, wary of charging in. Once Leon was within a few feet, he suddenly dropped his entire body posture so that the sword was level with Link's midsection. What surprised Link even more was that Leon did not lose speed during the move.

The knight rotated on the balls of his feet once after lowering his entire stance to use the rotation's momentum to give himself a boost in speed. Link quickly shifted his sword so that the blade pointed down and covered his side. Leon's eyes widened in surprise as his strike to Link's side was stopped. Upon closer inspection, the knight saw he had struck the flat of Link's blade, and Link's right hand was against the other side of the flat to provide extra support. Link broke the block and backflipped away from Leon.

"Nice! Exploiting the less guarded lower half of the body! That was too close," Link stated.

"That was the technique that got me admitted into the Hylian Knights. I commend you for blocking it. It's my original technique," Leon replied.

"Are we taking turns now?" the hero asked with an amused smile on his face.

"Nope! As if I would let you have that dangerous chance!" Leon exclaimed before charging at Link again.

The knight noticed Link's smirk too late as the green clad Hylian drew his sword to the opposite side of his body. Link let out a powerful yell as he spun in place with the force of a tempest, forcing Leon to jump backward. The green eyed knight let out a nervous laugh.

"You weren't holding back at all, were you?" Leon asked.

"Just a little. Didn't use any magic," Link informed.

A large horizontal cut appeared on Leon's tunic, causing it to fall open.

"I yield. I hate to think what would have happened with magic and a real blade," Leon sighed out as he inspected the clean cut.

The knight cast aside his sword, as did Link, and the two shook hands. Their audience erupted into thunderous applause at the wonderful display of skill, and they sheepishly bowed with a blush on their faces. Ruvelan slapped them both on the back with a grin.

"That was an excellent match, boys!" the captain exclaimed, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

"Thank you, Sir!" the two boys replied in unison.

"Nothing less from Link!" Malon yelled.

"I'm impressed!" Nina exclaimed as she punched Link in the shoulder.

"Haha, thanks," Link replied.

The hero immediately noticed Zelda's silence.

"Zelda, are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah. You did a great job, Link. So did you, Leon," Zelda replied, snapping out of her trance.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Leon replied.

Link's blue eyes made contact with Zelda's, and the princess understood that they would be talking later.

"Princess Zelda, since we have already had one sparring match, how would you like to spar with Madeliene?" Ruvelan asked.

"Oh! Right now?" Zelda replied in surprise.

"Why not? You are free to refuse though if you feel that this is too sudden," the captain stated.

"Alright. It wouldn't hurt," Zelda replied.

"Madeliene!" Ruvelan called.

The young female knight left her position against the wall, and Madeliene made her way over. Upon closer inspection, Zelda noticed that the knight had rather long bottom eyelashes, and the long bangs that framed her face were braided below the cheek and pulled back into her long ponytail. She wore a light blue tunic and the standard training pants.

"Y-Yes, Sir?" Madeliene squeaked out.

"Her Highness has accepted to have a match with you today. Would you like to spar with Her Highness as well?" Ruvelan asked.

"O-Of course, Sir!" the raven haired girl exclaimed, unable to contain her surprise.

"Very well. You may choose the light or heavy blade. When you have chosen, please step into the arena," Ruvelan instructed before taking his place at the center of the arena.

Madeliene instantly chose the heavier blade that the knights used, and she made her way to the center with Ruvelan. Zelda's hand ghosted over the standard knight sword that she had often used to practice, but something drew her to the light weight sword that she had never used before. The princess thought to herself that she was going crazy for choosing a weapon she's never practiced with. Nina noticed the brief hesitation in the princess when she chose her sword and made her way to the arena.

"Link, do you know if Zelda has ever wielded a lightweight sword before?" the mage asked.

Link gave Nina a questioning look.

"She must have learned swordsmanship during my seven years away from Hyrule, so I'm not sure. Why?" the hero asked.

"She seemed...unsure. Maybe I was just imagining it," Nina replied.

Link looked back at Zelda. Now that Nina had pointed out that something was strange, Link noticed Zelda continuously shifting her grip on the sword. The princess was a very logical person, and she did not like taking chances when it came to matters that did not concern leisure. After all, she was gifted with the Triforce of Wisdom. The hero could sense that there was something wrong with Zelda ever since she had lost control of her magic the night before.

"Begin!"

Ruvelan's voice snapped Link out of his thoughts, and he focused on watching the match. Unlike Link and Leon, the two girls carefully circled each other, both waiting for the first move. Madeliene finally took the initiative as she charged with both hands on the sword handle. Instead of parrying, Zelda opted to dodge the vertical slash in order to observe the female knight's movements.

Madeliene was lighter on her feet than most of the other knights, and her strikes were equally swift. However, Zelda had yet to see the quirk that defined Madeliene's techniques, and the princess decided to engage the knight with a parry. Madeliene's eyes widened in surprise as Zelda easily parried her strike and struck back with surprising speed. The knight immediately picked up on Zelda's style to strike quickly multiple times or aim at vital areas.

The raven haired girl recognized Impa's Sheikah training in Zelda's moves, and she let out a small smile. Feeling confident after analyzing the monarch's fighting style, Madeliene parried, and the two girls engaged in the dangerous dance. They exchanged blocks and counters with speed and weightlessness that had been absent in Link and Leon's match.

Zelda's eyes widened in surprise as her legs buckled under the force of Madeliene's strike. The knight's attack was suddenly more powerful, and the princess had no choice but to roll out of the way. With the look in Madeliene's eyes, Zelda realized that the black haired girl had been holding back her strength. The lips of the princess curved upward.

"Are you hiding anything else?" Zelda asked.

"I must ask you that as well, Your Highness," Madeliene replied with a smile.

The black haired knight charged toward Zelda again, striking downward in a vertical motion. Knowing of Madeliene's true strength now, the monarch side stepped, but she was surprised as the knight's sword suddenly changed direction to follow her shift in position. Zelda barely raised her sword in time, placing her other hand against the flat of the blade like Link had done, and the princess felt herself getting launched into the air. The spectators let out a gasp as the sole heir to the throne was forced off her feet.

However, Zelda felt adrenaline surge through her as her body was suspended, and the princess quickly rotated her body with a somersault to land on the other side of the arena with a light tap of her feet. Nina let out a whistle at Zelda's surprising acrobatic prowess, and Link looked on in amazement. The other spectators were equally surprised, and they held their breath, waiting for the next move.

"You are quite light on your feet, Your Grace," the raven haired knight commented.

"And you are stronger than you look," Zelda returned.

"That's what got me admitted into the Hylian Knights, in addition to the technique you just saw. My main weapon is actually a spear, not a sword, due to my strength," Madeliene informed.

"I'm impressed to say the least," the princess complimented.

"Thank you, Princess Zelda, but that doesn't mean I will go easy on you," the knight replied before charging again.

Like before, Zelda opted to dodge the attack, but instead of stopping with a side step, the princess followed with a cartwheel to get out of Madeliene's range. The princess smiled as the two were locked in a stalemate. In that moment, Zelda had seen the secret behind the knight's technique. Madeliene quickly struck, but she gripped the sword with only one hand. Right when she needed to change direction, her other hand gripped the blade to forcibly cease its momentum and put more strength behind the second strike.

Now armed with the knowledge of Madeliene's defining technique, Zelda quickly formed a counterattack and charged. Blood rushed through her veins as she provoked Madeliene into attacking. The knight used a horizontal slice, and Zelda jumped backward before Madeliene used her transition technique to follow up with a stab. Time seemingly slowed down for the princess as she bent backward, the blade slicing the air above her. Zelda's hands met the cold stone floor of the arena as she entered a brief hand stand to kick away Madeliene's arms.

Time resumed as Zelda completed the flip with a low crouching position and pounced forward with her sword poised. Despite her initial surprise, Madeliene managed to quickly recover and roll out of the way. However, Zelda refused to let the knight have a chance to fully recover and charged again. The princess noticed a surprised look grace Madeliene's features, along with the slightest hint of fear, before feeling something ice cold wrap around her hand. Her vision briefly flickered to a scene where she saw Impa talking to a crying younger version of herself, fading as quickly as it came.

Zelda stopped her charge with a skid before holding up her sword to look at what was on her hand, and she held in a scream as bandages began to wrap her hand to the handle like in her dream, and a dark shadowy substance stained the blade pitch black. What struck Zelda with the most fear and confusion was when she looked into her reflection on the blade to find one blue eye and one red-violet eye staring back at her. The princess immediately released her grip on the sword in surprise. The illusion of the bandages faded, but the shadows embracing the blade were very real and rose like smoke.

"The match is suspended! Escort the spectators out!" Ruvelan barked.

The knights nodded and followed their captain's orders without question, quickly ushering out unwanted eyes. Zelda crumpled to the floor, covering her red-violet eye with one hand as her other hand rested against the arena floor. She felt a familiar pair of hands grip her shoulders.

"Zelda! You okay? What happened?" Link's voice asked, overflowing with concern and worry.

Zelda slowly looked up into Link's blue eyes, dropping her hand that shielded the abnormality. Link could not help but gasp in surpise as the bi-colored eyes stared back at him.

"Your eye!" the hero exclaimed.

The monarch's eyes filled with tears before she threw her arms around Link's neck.

"I-I'm scared Link! I don't know what's happening to me!" Zelda cried out.

Link returned the embrace, giving his dear friend a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm here for you, Zelda. Let's go back inside and talk. We'll figure it out together," the young lad replied.

Zelda did not speak, opting to nod her head, and Link gathered her in his arms bridal style. The blond haired hero exchanged a brief glance with Ruvelan, and the captain nodded his head in understanding. He ordered Leon and Madeliene to spread the news that training was done for the day before coming by his office. Link quickly disappeared into the castle to avoid unnecessary contact, and Malon quietly headed to the stables, unsure of what to think about the whole ordeal.

Nina on the other hand jumped onto the arena and knelt near the fallen sword Zelda had been using. No one dared to touch it after seeing the strange substance rise from the blade. The mage hand hovered over the blade, and she tilted her head in confusion. Despite clearly seeing the rather ominous and dark looking substance on the blade, the weapon held no traces of dark magic. Nina gripped the sword and lifted it, but she sensed another type of magic rapidly fading from the blade.

What exactly was going on?


	9. Motherly Touch

Disclaimer: "

Edit 6/5/12: Noticed a slight timeline error. It has been fixed.

A/N: I guess you could call this a late Mother's Day tribute. An extra long chapter with lots of detail. It's pretty hefty. Ready carefully and enjoy!

(1) This is my version of the Unification War that took place during the Era of Chaos. This is based on the official timeline found in the Hyrule Historia. The details are my own theories and compilations. Read carefully, as this helps establish the background of this story.

(2) The Ancient Ballad of the Maiden is a slightly different title than Ballad of the Goddess, but this is indeed the Ballad of the Goddess from Skyward Sword. After hundreds of years, it is only natural for the language to change, meaning the original titles of the songs from the Sky Era have been changed as well.

* * *

_**Chapter Eight: Motherly Touch**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

Captain Ruvelan sat behind his messy desk overwhelmed by military documents, looking at Leon and Madeliene.

"You must not mention what has transpired today to anyone, understood?" Ruvelan ordered.

"Yes, Sir," the two young knights replied.

The three sat in awkward silence. Leon and Madeliene silently communicated with their eyes, shifting to their captain. When Leon sighed and opened his mouth to speak, Ruvelan held up a hand.

"I know that you are concerned for Her Highness, and you wish to know what exactly happened today," Ruvelan stated.

The two young knights nodded their heads slowly.

"It is a rather...long story," the captain managed to say after struggling to find the appropriate words.

Madeliene and Leon gave each other a confused look.

"Captain, you seem...sad," Leon commented.

Ruvelan chose not to respond as his chair groaned against the floor while being scooted back. The captain made his way over to the large window overlooking the training grounds.

"Would you be willing to listen to this rather arduous story?" the middle aged man asked, his voice softening.

Much to Leon's surprise, Madeliene spoke first.

"Sir, as knights of Hyrule, I believe that it is our duty to protect this land and its Royal Family. I want to be able to help the Princess of Hyrule in any way I can. If listening to your tale will better educate me, then it makes no sense for me to refuse, yeah?" Madeliene replied with a firm voice.

The raven haired knight blushed as her native dialect that she had tried so hard to hide for many years slipped out. Captain Ruvelan turned to look at the youngsters with a smile.

"And you Leon?" he asked.

"I agree with Madeliene. Years of listening to other people hasn't killed me yet, Sir," Leon replied with a smirk.

Ruvelan turned his attention back toward the darkening skies outside of the transparent glass. The pitter patter of rain drops falling down to the earth and striking the window reached the long ears of the Hylians.

"There were many dark days like this during the Unification War. Tell me, what do you know of it?" Ruvelan asked.

The black haired girl looked at the blond boy next to her.

"My mother told me it was an awful war where the races of this land fought each other for control over the gift of the Goddesses. It ended with the races signing a peace treaty and the unification of Hyrule under the Royal Family," Madeliene said.

"My father fought in the war. He was part of the Guardian House when it still existed. The casualties were great, so the Guardian House fell apart after the war since many of its members were killed. The conflict ended seventeen years ago," Leon added.

"Guardian House?" the female knight questioned.

"Not many know of its existence now since it was destroyed by the end of the war. The Guardian House consisted of the families of knights with the greatest skill and closest relationships with the Royal Family. My father told me stories of it. The Guardian House seemed like a social club the way he described it, but even most of the wives of the knights excelled in some sort of combat," Leon explained.

Madeliene nodded in understanding, marveling at her new discovery, before Ruvelan picked up the conversation.

"I was part of the Guardian House as well, but that is for later on in this story. You two were both born during the year the war ended, correct?" Ruvelan questioned.

"Yes. I was born a few months before the war ended," Leon replied.

"And I was born shortly after the war ended," Madeliene said.

The captain nodded before continuing.

"Because I trust you two, I will tell you the darkest moments of Hyrule. There must be those who know the truth," Ruvelan stated.

"The truth?" Madeliene repeated.

The middle aged man merely nodded again. Lightning illuminated the room accompanied by a loud clap of thunder that seemed to shake the windows.

/(1)

The Unification War was a dreadful war. No one is sure of when it began, but there are records that indicate it had been going on for as long as half a century, perhaps even longer. Hyrule was in what is now known as the Era of Chaos as greed overwhelmed mortals. There was a brief reprieve from the chaos when the Temple of Time was constructed to ward off any dark hearts that wished to possess the Triforce during this time.

The civil war was reinitiated when seven powerful and evil sorcerers attempted to invade the Temple of Time to steal the holy relic of the Goddesses. This caused a second Era of Chaos to occur. By the divine intervention of the light spirit servants of the Goddesses, the sorcerers had their powers sealed away and were banished to another realm. However, the light spirits were weakened and were forced to enter into a deep sleep, which is why they did not help us protect the Triforce for the remainder of the war.

Eventually, the war shed so much blood that the Sheikah were forced to emerge from the shadows of Hyrule. Ordinarily, the Sheikah are seldom seen and spoken to, but the Goddesses had sent orders to the Sheikah to help the Hylians protect the Sacred Realm. The father of our current King was the one who initiated an alliance with the Shadow Folk that drew them to the battlefield.

You see, the Sheikah are the protectors of the Royal Family, and they do their jobs from the shadows. I am not proud to admit this, but the Sheikah often captured and tortured various races for the sake of the Royal Family to weed out those who would seek harm against them. Sometimes we told them who to capture while other times they did so on their own. That has always been the role of the Sheikah, but the war forced them to emerge from the shadows and provide us with extra support.

The previous king signed the document that called for the Sheikah to provide armed forces to help defend our race. With their help, the war eventually came to a stand still where no side was at an advantage by the time our current King ascended the throne in his twenties and our previous king passed. A few years later he married the late queen of Hyrule, Princess Zelda's mother.

/

Ruvelan paused to take a sip of water. The captain offered his two proteges water as well, but they were too absorbed and surprised from the story to be thirsty. The two politely refused as they tried to synthesize and process what Ruvelan had dumped on them.

"What were they like? The King and the late Queen?" Madeliene asked.

The captain gently smiled.

"I was friends with the King for quite a while. He was so taken by the late queen when he first saw her. I guess you could say love at first sight. The late queen was a powerful sorceress and swordswoman. Our late queen was cold and annoyed by our king at first, but she eventually reciprocated his affections for her," Ruvelan replied, his eyes clouding over with nostalgia.

"Were you in the Guardian House at this time?" Leon asked.

"Shortly after I got married, I received an invitation to join the Guardian House. It was considered a great honor. The house had been around for many successions of the throne. However, I will explain in greater detail another time of our exploits," the captain of the Royal Guard replied.

With another sip of water, he resumed his story.

/

Many things changed after His Highness married our late queen. It is an unspoken rule that the Sheikah obey the will of the females of the Royal Family. Many say that this rule began in ancient times with the founder of the Royal Family who was a fair maiden. Needless to say, their alliance completely shifted over to the late queen. However, soon afterward one of the darkest events in the history of the Hylian race occurred.

Our late queen was not a Hylian noble, so there were many who objected to their marriage. There was one councilman who detested our queen, even going as far as calling her an abomination. He secretly initiated the genocide of the Sheikah race, the loyal servants of the late queen, using Hylian soldiers. The entire Shadow Folk were almost eradicated. Even if it was all because of the councilman, the Hylian race had been forever shamed.

The alliance almost fell apart. Unable to discern the lies told by both the Hylians and Sheikah, His Highness issued an order to the Guardian House to investigate. With the help of our late queen's aid Lady Impa, we apprehended the councilman, and he was executed for treason. The trust between the Hylian and Sheikah was brutally damaged, but our late queen managed to maintain the alliance.

The other races saw that we were weak from inner turmoil, so we were put under heavy pressure until the Gerudo King Ganondorf offered an alliance. At the time we were unaware that this was a mere ploy to gain our trust all so he could become close to the Royal Family and seize the holy relic for himself. However, we accepted the alliance and turned the tide of the war, but the situation grew worse as monsters suddenly got involved in the struggle for power. We would not know until ten years later with the help of Princess Zelda and Sir Link that the monsters were Ganondorf's doing. What ruined Ganondorf was the current leader Nabooru's confession that Ganondorf betrayed the King during the war at this time by sending out an order to the Gerudo and monsters alike to eliminate the Guardian House, the biggest threat to Ganondorf's plans. Ganondorf succeeded and the Guardian House fell apart.

In the midst of the chaos, Princess Zelda was born, and her birth seemed to create a miracle. The war shifted in our favor, and the other races surrendered shortly afterward. I will mention that this is when Lady Nina appeared as the White Sage. She saved many lives with her magic, and this is when I met her. She disappeared as soon as the treaty was signed.

/

Ruvelan took another break to quench his parched throat, and the two younger knights merely sat in silence. Understandable since this was the heavily concealed history of Hyrule. The genocide of the Sheikah was not the most sunshine filled topic in history.

/

Hyrule began to recover and prosper. Unfortunately, the war did not come to complete stop after the treaty was signed. In what seemed to be a last desperate attempt, a large army of monsters assaulted the castle. Ganondorf claimed he had nothing to do with this hoard of monsters, and Nabooru confirmed that Ganondorf's monsters were all killed by the end of the war. We were caught off guard by the peace that had blossomed, and the citizens of Castle Town were forced to take refuge in the castle.

Our late queen summoned the Sheikah to aid us. Luckily, the Shadow Folk who survived were very skilled and held off the monsters until we got everyone to safety, but even with their aid, we were pushed back into the castle. We were losing strength until our late queen gave her life in a desperate attempt to save the castle.

She was a great sorceress, and she used a forbidden technique. It held a great power but cost the caster his or her life. Our late queen saved us all with her sacrifice. The monsters were gone in a flash, and the Shadow Folk carried her away to her final resting place in the tomb of the Royal Family. Princess Zelda was barely two months old when her mother left this world.

/

Madeliene's and Leon's eyes softened for their princess. The black haired knight could not help but sniffle and wipe a tear away while biting her lip to keep from crying as she thought of her loving mother who waited at home with her father. Leon's mind drifted to his mother who had passed away five years ago. At least he could remember little things he did with his mother like helping her carry things from the market and accidentally setting the kitchen on fire while helping her cook.

"Our Princess Zelda had an extraordinary talent for magic since she was young. She would rarely lose control of her magic, but when she did, her magic would cause severe damage. I imagine that what she's going through now is related to the large amount of magic she inherited from her mother as well as the Royal Family's naturally magic filled bloodline," Ruvelan explained.

Madeliene and Leon slowly nodded as the information sunk in. The captain of the Royal Guard let out a deep sigh as he collapsed into his chair.

"Thank you for listening to an old man's tale," Ruvelan said.

"No, it was very enlightening," Leon replied.

"I'm tired, and I'm sure your minds are tired from this history lesson. You are dismissed," the middle aged man said.

The two young knights stood before bowing toward their superior. They straightened their posture and retreated from the room while sensing the fatigue from their mentor as he became lost in his old memories. Before they completely exited the room, they heard their mentor's voice call out.

"Do not tell Princess Zelda of anything we spoke of in this office. It is the will of the late queen."

The door closed, and Madeliene and Leon quietly walked through the hallway before slowing to a stop.

"Some heavy stuff, yeah?" the black knight asked, her native dialect returning.

"No kidding. He seems to believe in us a lot if he decided to unload this onto two kid knights," Leon replied.

The blond haired knight raised an eyebrow before crossing his arms.

"Why do you hide your accent?" he asked.

"Umm...err...habit, yeah?" Madeliene weakly replied.

"Come on, Madeliene," Leon snorted out.

"Fine. I'll tell you, yeah? I hide it because I thought it made me less ladylike," the black haired knight admitted with a blush, crossing her arms as well.

"Less ladylike? You know Madeliene, my mother was part of the Guardian House with my father. She was far from the ideal image of a lady. My mother had a colorful vocabulary, a short temper, and a mean arm to boot. As a knight, gender or status doesn't matter. After all, isn't that why you were accepted into the knights?" Leon asked.

After a few seconds of silence, the black haired knight spoke.

"You're right. After all, this is proof of my heritage, yeah?" Madeliene responded.

Leon grinned before nodding. The two continued walking down the halls before resuming their conversation.

"I can't help but feel sad for Princess Zelda. She was too young to remember her mother. Maybe too young to even remember her touch," Madeliene said.

"Yeah, but the late queen gave her life for the land she loved so much so that her daughter would have a future. If you ask me, that's the ultimate proof of motherly love," Leon replied.

"I agree. My father trained me in the art of combat while my mother comforted me and suggested that I take the test to become a knight," the black haired girl said.

"My mother passed five years ago, but both she and my father inspired me to become a knight," the green eyed boy said.

The two young knights found themselves heading toward the Royal Family's wing of Hyrule Castle.

"I want to check on Princess Zelda," Madeliene stated.

"Yeah, I want to check on her too," Leon admitted.

Along the way to Zelda's room, they bumped into the red head friend of the princess.

"Hey, Leon, Madeliene," Malon greeted before coming to a stop in front of them.

"Hello, Lady Malon," the knights greeted in unison.

Malon turned red with embarrassment.

"I told you two to not call me that. It makes me sound too...stuffy," the rancher said with a pout.

Leon laughed at Malon's response while Madeliene smiled.

"Sorry, sorry. Where are you headed?" the blond haired boy asked.

"Well, I came back in after putting away the horses. They were getting skittish with the approaching storm. Luckily it started to rain as soon as I got back in the castle. I thought that I would check on Zelda, but she's not in her room," Malon explained.

"W-What?" Madeliene replied.

The red head raised a brow as she noticed Madeliene's accent.

"It's from my hometown in the mountains," the knight quickly explained.

Malon just accepted it with a smile.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. There's only one place she goes to when something is bothering her this much," the rancher said.

"And where is this place?" Leon asked.

"Why, it's the music room!" Malon replied with a grin.

"The music room?" the black haired knight repeated.

"Yep. Why don't you come with me?" the red head invited before grabbing their hands and dragging them with her.

After stumbling a few steps, the knights gave up any intention they had of going else where and followed Zelda's best friend down the halls. The trio came to a stop in front of the Royal Music room. Unlike many of the rooms in the castle, the music room had windows for spectators to look through. Concerned with disturbing any dwellers, Malon gestured toward the two knights to look through the transparent glass.

To their amazement, Link and Zelda sat together in the middle of the room. The princess had her eyes closed as her melodic voice blended with the plucks of the large harp she embraced. Her champion had his eyes closed as while playing the blue ocarina of the Royal Family. The song soothed their minds even if the Ancient Hylian lyrics were unknown to them. When the masterpiece came to a close, Link and Zelda began to talk.

"That was nice, Link. Thank you for playing with me," Zelda said.

Link gently smiled.

"It was my pleasure. What was this song?" the hero asked.

"It is now called the Ancient Ballad of the Maiden(2). It went by a different name long ago, but with the passage of time, the original name in Ancient Hylian has become lost," the princess replied.

"Hm. Strange. Sounds familiar," Link muttered as he rubbed his chin in thought.

Zelda smiled before plucking the melody, then proceeded to pluck it backward. Link looked at the girl in surprise.

"It's your lullaby backward!" the green clad boy exclaimed.

"Technically, Zelda's Lullaby is this song backward. This song was in existence before the lullaby," Zelda explained.

"Weird. I guess somebody was bored, so they played the Ancient Ballad of the Maiden backward," Link suggested.

The princess let out a melodious laugh.

"Do you think the reason is as simple as that? After all, knowledge of the Lullaby is proof that you have a connection to the Royal Family," Zelda pointed out.

"Well, you got me there. It does seem a bit too coincidental. Maybe you're descended from the Maiden. After all, you told me that Hylians are descended from the people who lived in the sky close to the Goddesses," Link reasoned.

"Maybe...I bet Impa knows more about this. She was the one who taught me about the Ancient Ballad of the Maiden, and she's a Sheikah. All secretive and all knowing," Zelda muttered.

Link laughed as the princess smiled.

"It's strange, Link. I've never truly missed my mother until now. I have no memories of her, and I always felt so guilty when it was so painfully obvious that my father was lonely. I guess because Impa has always been my mother figure, I did not think of my true mother much," Zelda quietly said, her voice becoming distant and pained.

"Well, I don't have any memories of my mother either. After I returned from the future, Saria told me that she was with my mother during her final moments. Apparently my mother was critically wounded when she stumbled into the forest, and she asked for the Deku Tree to take care of me with the last of her strength," Link revealed.

"Do you know the names of your parents?" the princess asked.

"No. The Deku Tree passed due to Ganondorf's curse before he could tell me. Saria might know though. Before I could ask, one of the Kokiri told me they had seen Navi in the Lost Woods, so I rushed there without thinking...then I ended up away from Hyrule for seven years. I have yet to go back," the hero replied.

"Maybe we can go together. I would love to meet Saria and your friends in person," Zelda suggested with a smile.

Link smiled back.

"What about your mother? Can you tell me anything about her?" Link asked.

"Hmm...it's strange. Whenever I think about her, my mind goes blank. I feel like I know her name, but any mention of her by other castle members is fuzzy. Even memories of my father talking about her are vague. All I remember for certain...is the warmth of her touch, like how I remembered Nina's touch from seventeen years ago," the young monarch replied.

"Since you don't have any memories of her, she must have passed when you were really young," Link gently said.

"I do remember that she passed at the end of the Unification War, but that's about it," Zelda added, unable to hide her disappointment and sadness.

"I'm sure it'll all come back to you, Zelda...hey, do you think any of the stuff that's been happening recently is linked to your mother?" Link questioned as he titled his head in thought.

The two sat in contemplative silence, pondering upon the new possible link.

"Now that you mention it, it is a bit strange that I started dreaming of shadows at the same time I began to think of my mother more often. I don't know why this thought didn't occur to me. It's like...there is something inhibiting my mind," Zelda muttered.

A sudden clap of thunder made the princess jump out of her seat and into Link's arms. The blond haired hero grew tomato red as Zelda gripped the back of his tunic with her small and delicate hands. The monarch buried her face into Link's chest, and Link could only return the gesture with his own embrace.

"I'm sorry. Storms have always made me a little jumpy...bad memory from when I was really young I guess," Zelda whispered.

Link nodded, simply holding the princess in his arms.

/

The door made no noise of protest as it opened and closed. If not for the inherent click of the door that was barely noticeable, Ruvelan would not have noticed the entrance of the only one possible of entering with such silence. The middle aged captain looked up.

"Hello, Lady Impa. What do I owe for this unexpected visit?" Ruvelan asked.

"Captain Ruvelan, you spoke of that dreaded war, did you not?" Impa stated more than questioned.

"Nothing escapes you, My Lady," the captain confirmed.

"Who did you speak of it to?" the Sheikah asked.

"No need to worry. I did not go against our late queen's will. I merely informed those two youngsters Leon and Madeliene, and I did not tell them anything important to do with our late queen," Ruvelan replied.

Impa raised an eyebrow.

"I also told them not to speak of it with Princess Zelda," the captain added, already knowing Impa's question.

"Tell me, why did you choose to tell them?" Zelda's guardian questioned.

"They have a special quality missing in other knights. There is no denying that we are getting older, my friend. We must trust the future of Hyrule to the next generation, and I found hope in those two. They will stand by Princess Zelda just as I have stood by our King," Ruvelan explained as he shuffled through various official documents.

Impa let out a rare smile.

"I see. A wise decision, Captain Ruvelan. Tell me, does this entrusting have anything to do with the fact you have continuously refused promotion for the past seventeen years?" the Sheikah asked.

"As the captain of the Royal Guard, I guard the King with my own hand. I am uneasy with the thought of entrusting anyone else with this task," Ruvelan explained.

Impa barked out a sharp laugh.

"I have always respected you, Ruvelan. We are alike in mind. Indeed we need to find those worthy of entrusting the future to, but we are not out yet, my war friend. We are far from being too old to defend this land," the Sheikah stated with a smirk.

Ruvelan also laughed.

"Indeed. Would you like to join me for a drink?" the captain asked.

"Perhaps another time, Captain Ruvelan. The time draws near when the dark history will finally be drawn into the light once more. The princess must find the truth for herself," Impa replied before walking toward the room door.

"Everything links back to Princess Zelda. The power of the Goddesses is a heavy burden indeed," the middle aged man muttered.

"The time may come when we finally discover our late queen's murderer," the silver haired woman whispered, surprising Ruvelan.

The door opened, and Impa paused in the doorway.

"That day was like this too. Princess Zelda must be scared right now," the Sheikah stated.

Ruvelan looked outside as the tears of heaven rained down upon their land. The door closed with an obvious thud and click, signifying Impa's leave. The captain opened a drawer at his desk, pulling out a bottle of whiskey. The man poured himself a small glass before returning to stare out the window, becoming lost in old memories of the dreadful war that changed the land.


	10. Boys

Disclaimer: "

A/N: Double update! Sorry it took a while! These chapters were a little difficult to write since they consist of little action and lots of dialogue. Chapter 9 and 10 were originally one chapter, but the chapter got too long, so I ended up splitting it. Enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter Nine: Boys**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

Zelda's eyes snapped opened as her recurring dream came to an end. Her deep gasps for air echoed throughout the room, her heart eventually slowing. The princess looked at her right hand, and for a brief moment, the image of the bandages wrapping her hand against the sword from her dreams flickered before her vision. The illusion faded as fast as it had appeared, and Zelda placed her hand to her head, repeating the previous morning's routine.

The young monarch slipped out of bed, and she quietly pulled out a pale blue variation of her standard pink dress. Zelda shed her sleeping gown, staring at her dress in her undergarments. The princess picked up her dress, and her blue eyes found their way to her balcony, only to cause Zelda to cease getting dressed. Outside stood the same shadowy figure that had been inside her room before.

"Who are you?" Zelda asked as she approached the balcony.

_"I love you..."_ a haunting voice whispered.

The princess quietly approached the figure and opened the balcony windows.

"Who do you love?" Zelda questioned.

_"I love you my dear Zelda,"_ the voice continued as the shadowy figure turned around to face the princess.

Zelda's heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the words as she saw the front of the figure for the first time. Like a shadow, the figure's features were nearly indiscernible, but from the silhouette Zelda could make out that it was a woman with long locks of wavy hair. What caught her eye the most was the light the shadow cradled like a newborn. Within the light, Zelda saw a newborn who bore a remarkable resemblance to a sketch of herself from when she was born.

"Are you by any chance..." the princess whispered as she reached out for the shadow's shoulder.

However as soon as Zelda's hand made contact with the shadow, the figure burst into hundreds of blue butterflies. The insects fled through the balcony window just as a loud slam caused Zelda to look in the direction of her bedroom door. Who she saw resulted in a series of events that were not how she expected to start her morning.

"Z-Zelda! Are you okay? My Triforce lit up and-" Link ceased his babbling as he realized that Zelda was not quite dressed yet.

The two quietly stared at each other, growing a darker shade of red with every passing second.

"G-Get out!" the princess screamed as she grabbed the nearest object and chucked it at Link.

"Hey, what's going on?" Nina asked, poking her head into the room before being greeted by a heavy book to the forehead.

The blue haired foreigner stumbled backward before slumping against the hallway wall, unconscious.

"Leave right now!" Zelda screeched, throwing anything her hands could grab.

By the time Link managed to successfully close the door, he had been hit by a metal tray, parts of a suit of armor, and various decorative weapons. How he managed to avoid being cut by any of them, Link dared not to question his luck. He sat panting while leaning against the door. The next person he saw was perhaps the worst possible coincidence.

"Ah? What are you doing Link?" asked the bouncy voice of Malon.

The ranch girl came to a stop near the scene, noticing the unconscious Nina.

"W-What? Nina, are you okay?" Malon cried out as she gently shook the mage.

Nina let out a groan as her eyes focused. She blinked several times, trying to remember what exactly happened.

"Ugh, I guess," the mage replied as she gripped her pounding head.

"What's all this stuff doing out in the hallway? Weren't all these in Zelda's room?" Malon asked as she picked up a nearby book.

The rancher noticed Link's blushing face, and Malon looked at the witness Nina for answers. The blue haired woman closed her eyes. She had seen Link bolting down the hallway in the morning, and Nina had given chase. The green clad boy had opened Zelda's door, and a scream followed. The mage had poked her head in to see what was going on, and Nina had seen Zelda in her undergarments about to put her dress on. Then, she vaguely remembered a book filling her vision.

Nina's mouth transformed into a devilish grin, and Malon thought that the mage was going to rip her face in half with the toothy smile. The mage waggled her eyebrows at Link, realizing what had transpired that morning. The rancher had her own suspicions about Link's red face, and she found herself slowly grinning as well.

"Did the young hero have a pleasant view this morning?" Nina asked.

Link practically exploded from embarrassment.

"W-What are you talking about?" he yelled.

"Aww, he's being shy," the mage teased.

"Don't worry, Link! I'm sure Zelda would not have minded seeing you change either!" Malon added.

"M-Malon!" Link squeaked out.

"Ah, young love," Nina commented, her eyes glossing over with fake emotional tears.

"Their feelings are so strong! To have progressed into such blazing affection!" the rancher narrated in an overly dramatic manner as she placed a hand to her heart and another reaching out toward the sky.

Malon and Nina burst out laughing, rolling on the hallway carpet while clutching their stomachs.

"Blazing affection?"

Malon and Nina ceased their fit of laughter to stare into the cold eyes of the greatly angered Zelda. The blue haired mage could feel her soul freeze at the sight of the monarch's glare. The two females quietly stood up from where they had rolled around, and they took off faster than a Sheikah could disappear. Zelda cleared her throat to get the attention of the young lad sitting in front of her doorway.

Link nervously looked up to see the blushing princess. She tried her hardest to glare at Link with the subzero expression she had given the others, but Zelda only managed to pout. The combination of a blush and a pout made Zelda very adorable in Link's eyes at that very moment. Another clearing of the throat belonging to neither of them caused the Hylians to look over into the stony faced expression of Impa.

"Why are your things out in the hallway, and why is Link in front of your doorway?" the Sheikah asked as she folded her arms.

"Er, n-nothing!" Zelda exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah! I'm going to go...uh...practice," Link said before taking off.

Impa raised an eyebrow at the peculiar atmosphere.

/

Link practiced with the other knights, and they were currently having a free training session to practice on their own time and techniques. The hero quietly unleashed an arrow, nailing the target ahead right in the center. His mind wandered to Zelda, her blushing face and barely clothed body. He could not help but reimagine the unexpected scene, but Link focused more on Zelda's beautiful face and shining locks of hair rather than other parts of her body.

"Hey! Hyrule to Link? You there?"

The blond haired lad jumped as the voice startled him. Link clumsily stumbled backward, knocking over the arrow stand next to him. When he finally managed to focus on the voice that had called him, Link found Leon and Madeliene staring at him with strange looks.

"Ah, sorry. Was distracted," Link quickly said.

"Right. Something embarrassing, I'm guessing? You were blushing while in lala land," Leon commented as he offered a hand to the fallen hero.

"Er...no! It's not like that at all!" the hero yelled, accepting Leon's help.

Once Link was back on his feet again, the lad brushed off his dark green tunic.

"Right..." Leon and Madeliene muttered as they exchanged a quick glance.

Link scowled, and the two knights decided to drop the topic...for now.

"So, what brings you to the knight's training today? You aren't required to come," Leon asked.

The blue eyed Hylian set the bow down for the next person, and the two knights followed him to a spot against the wall for a break.

"Ah...well, I thought I would brush up on my other techniques. I haven't used the bow in a while," Link replied as he plopped down onto the grass.

Leon and Madeliene joined him.

"Hmm...come to think of it, don't you use a shield with your sword?" Leon asked, remembering the incident concerning the demon in the guise of a prince.

"Yeah. I also use the bow and arrow, but not as often," Link replied.

"Oh? Well let me tell you that our Princess Zelda currently holds the record for the shooting challenge we have at our one and only training grounds. You should challenge her sometime!" the green eyed knight exclaimed.

Madeliene noticed Link's face redden at the mention of the princess.

"Hey, do you by any chance have feelings for the Princess?" the female knight questioned.

Link's jaw dropped, and any words he had in his mouth and mind flew away like a flock of birds heading south for the winter.

"W-Why are you asking this?" the hero hissed.

"Well, you've been distracted for a while, and you blushed at the mention of our princess. So I'm assuming something happened between you two, yeah?" Madeliene stated rather than questioned.

Leon smirked as he finally put together the evidence Madeliene had already connected.

"Oh ho. How romantic. Princess Zelda's knight in shining armor ready to love her!" the blond haired boy said while fluttering his eyes.

Madeliene slapped Leon's shoulder.

"I wouldn't be talking, Mister let me be subtle as I ogle Lady Malon," the female knight snorted out.

"I...I-I was not ogling!" Leon exclaimed.

"Well, since you two boys have love problems to discuss with each other, I will be leaving to resume training. Good luck, yeah?" Madeliene said, smirking all the while.

"W-Wait! Madeliene!" the blond haired boys exclaimed.

She held up a hand to signal her official departure, and the female knight left the two teenage boys alone.

"S-She got us," Leon managed to mutter.

"Why are girls this...tricky?" Link asked.

"There's something about girls and romance that I just don't get. Even Madeliene was unfazed, and she's been near a bunch of guys for well over three years!" the knight groaned out.

The two boys looked up at the sky in awkward silence.

"So...you like Malon?" Link started.

"Y-Yeah...I've seen her around since she visits the castle to spend time with Princess Zelda. She's pretty, and she finally talked to me the other day when we were all out at the Royal Stables," Leon replied as he rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

"Well, you should talk to her some more. She's probably out at the stables today too," the hero encouraged.

"Really? You don't have any feelings for her?" Leon asked.

"Feelings? What gave you that idea?" Link asked in return.

"Err...well...I often heard Malon and Princess Zelda talking about you during your seven year absence. They both missed you greatly, and I heard that your horse is actually a gift from Malon," the knight replied.

Link's expression softened as he was once again reminded of his long absence.

"We're just friends. Malon gave me Epona as a parting gift," the hero assured.

"Then do you have anything to tell me about Malon?" Leon asked.

"Well, she's a bit of a tomboy like Madeliene and Princess Zelda-"

"Princess Zelda is a tomboy?" the green eyed boy exclaimed, interrupting Link.

"Yeah, more so when she was a kid. Anyway, she's very friendly and outgoing. You shouldn't have any trouble talking with her," Link said.

"I see...I guess I'll go visit her at the stables later," Leon muttered.

"That's the spirit!" the blue eyed lad encouraged, slapping Leon's back.

The blond knight smiled.

"What about you and Princess Zelda?" Leon questioned as he waggled his eyebrows.

Since Leon had been honest, Link decided to be honest as well.

"Um...I...I guess I do like Zelda as more than a friend. This may seem crazy to you, but I feel as if Zelda and I have known each other for a very long time, longer than seven years," Link said.

"Hm...doesn't seem all that crazy considering that we live in a land filled with magic. There is a legend that a hero will rise with the chosen female of the Royal Family to combat every new cycle of darkness. You two were born and managed to thwart the darkness that took the shape of Ganondorf. Maybe it's just a hero and princess thing," Leon suggested as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe...after all, we shared the same prophetic dream foretelling Ganondorf's intentions," Link commented.

"You...shared the same dream?" the green eyed knight asked in surprise.

"Yeah...something about us being the chosen ones of the Goddesses," the hero replied.

"Very interesting...so do you know if our princess likes you too?" Leon questioned.

"Well, I can't really tell. At the very least, we are best friends, but I'm not sure if she has any...other feelings for me," Link responded.

"I, for one, can assure you that Princess Zelda likes you as more than a friend. She often wonders about your feelings for her, and she becomes flustered whenever Malon teases her about you," Leon commented.

The two sat in silence as Link digested the information.

"Um...Leon. I was thinking about Zelda earlier. You can't tell anybody else, but this morning I..." Link said before leaning over to whisper in the knight's ear.

"You what!" Leon yelled.

The other knights looked at the two young boys against the wall. After a quick apology from Leon, they returned to what they were doing, and Leon ruffled his short blond hair in exasperation.

"Y-You could be charged with a number of things! Lady Impa will kill you if she finds out! In the name of Din, the King of Hyrule will have your head!" Leon hissed.

"I know! It was on accident! Zelda's been having trouble sleeping, and my Triforce mark lit up, so I thought something was wrong with her!" Link hissed back.

"No wonder you've been acting strange all morning!" the knight groaned out.

The two boys let out a heavy sigh.

"Well, what are you going to say when you see her?" Leon asked.

"I guess I'll apologize...ask for her forgiveness...maybe give her something," Link replied as he quickly formulated his master plan in his mind.

"Oi! Time for the block drill!" barked out the familiar voice of Captain Ruvelan.

The knights quickly left their spots, automatically falling into place. Leon waved at Link before taking his place near the front of the block.

"Link, you joining us today?" Ruvelan asked as the young hero made his way to the front.

"Sure. Why not?" Link replied.

"Alright, take a spot next to Leon," the captain said.

Link jogged over to his recently befriended knight, and the two grinned. Madeliene quietly smiled, concluding the boys had resolved their troubles. The battle cries of the knights soon filled the training grounds as they trained their minds and bodies.


	11. Familiar

Disclaimer: "

* * *

_**Chapter Ten: Mothers**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

At the same time as the training session of the knights, Nina held a bag of ice wrapped in a thin towel to her forehead while sitting on a bench near the Royal Stables.

"Geez, that princess has a mean throwing arm," the blue haired mage muttered.

"Stop complaining and heal it, why don't you?" Malon replied.

"It's a waste of magic to heal something this little," Nina responded back as she shifted the bag of ice.

The rancher let out a snort as she continued to give Epona a good brushing.

"Epona, I'm going to have to fuss out Link for not taking care of your coat," Malon said.

The chestnut mare seemed to neigh in agreement.

"I'm glad you agree. At least you've been well fed," the rancher replied.

It was Nina's turn to let out a snort. A carrot hit Nina's chest lightly before landing in her lap.

"Is today abuse Nina day? First, I get a ten pound book thrown at me, and now a carrot," the mage grunted out as she threw the carrot back in Malon's direction.

Epona caught it in her mouth with ease before proceeding to eat the vegetable. Finally feeling the headache and throbbing fade, Nina removed the ice, fixing her light blue bangs to cover the now forming bruise on her forehead. Malon could not help but giggle at the mage's predicament.

"Oh? You think that's funny?" Nina growled out.

"Yep! Especially since it was all because you just had to stick your head into the room," Malon replied with a smirk.

The mage slumped on the bench as she fumed. The rancher let out another giggle before gathering her brushing equipment and walking over to the pregnant mare. The white horse greeted Malon with a gentle headbutt, and the red haired girl proceeded to check up on the beast. Malon affirmed that the mare was in good condition before giving the horse a good brushing.

A couple of hours later, Nina noticed a familiar head of blond hair approaching the stables. The Princess of Hyrule eventually came to a stop a few feet away from Nina. Zelda let out a nervous cough, turning a little pink.

"Um...I'm sorry about this morning, Nina," Zelda muttered.

Nina's bright amber eyes looked at Zelda's sincere blue ones, which were looking off to the side in shame. The mage had been planning on playing with around with Zelda, but seeing the regret in Zelda's eyes, she quickly changed her mind.

"It's fine. I've been hit with worse. I've got to admit though, you have some power behind that right arm of yours," Nina replied.

The mage noticed Zelda still slightly blushing and avoiding eye contact with her.

"What's wrong?" the blue haired woman asked.

"You...didn't see much...did you?" the princess quietly asked.

Nina looked at Zelda in surprise before bursting out laughing.

"You still had plenty covered, I assure you. Don't worry about Link. The bed and dress you were holding hid your lower half. We only saw your shoulders and midsection in actuality," the mage responded.

The princess let out a sigh of relief just as Malon finished her work with the horses and released them into the large field corral. The red head joined them, and Nina gave her a silent look, telling her that she should refrain from mentioning that morning's incident. Malon understood, and the two Hylians joined Nina on the bench. In the distance, the rancher noticed Shirashi and Epona playing together, and she let out a sly smile.

"My mother told me that horses take after their owners, only liking people their owners like," Malon stated.

"Oh? Your mother seemed very knowledgeable about horses," Nina commented.

"Yep! She taught me everything I need to know about horses. In fact, she was the one who created the song Link uses to call Epona!" the rancher quipped.

"Mother..." Zelda quietly whispered.

Nina and Malon looked at the young monarch, sensing Zelda's sudden depression.

"Zelda, is there anything you want to talk about?" Nina gently asked.

The princess left out a pained laugh as she lost her composure once more.

"Why is it that I cannot remember anything about my mother? Sometimes, I wonder if Mother even cared for me," Zelda said.

Nina's face darkened, and Malon felt chills run down her spine as the mage opened her mouth to scold the princess. Before the mage's storm of words could leave her mouth, a loud neigh reached their ears, and the black stallion galloped toward the girls. He bit the sleeve of Malon's tunic, and the rancher was dragged onto her feet as the steed snorted and stomped his hooves with impatience. Nina and Zelda followed after Malon and the black horse before realizing they were with the pregnant mare. Something was amiss with the white horse as she was laying on her side.

"Zelda, bring me the white leather bag in the equipment stall. Nina, go get me some buckets of water!" Malon exclaimed.

The two stared at Malon in confusion.

"She's giving birth, NOW! I need that stuff in case something goes wrong!" the rancher yelled as she quickly tied up her hair.

Nina and Zelda took off for their assigned tasks as Malon gently stroked the mare's nose, whispering words of encouragement into her ear. The stallion stood guard outside of the stable, and Zelda quickly returned with the bag. Malon ordered the princess to set it aside and to stay outside of the stable to give the mare some privacy.

Meanwhile, Nina ran along the path from the stables back to the castle. If memory served her well, she had heard the babbling of a brook on her way to the pasture in the morning. The calming sound reached her ears, and the mage veered off the path, jumping over the fence.

Leon, Link, and Madeliene spotted Nina jumping over the fence and dash off into the nearby woods. Before they could wonder why, Nina reappeared with two filled buckets of water, and the mage jumped onto the fence, opting to run along it instead of running along the path. She disappeared in a blue blur. Sensing the urgency in her actions, the three hurried after the mage.

By the time they arrived at the stables, they noticed Zelda and Nina standing a good distance away from the stable, looking into it. The black steed reared up on his hind legs, neighing as he kicked his hooves out threateningly at the new arrivals, and the two girls stopped them from getting any closer.

"The mare is giving birth now. Malon told us to stay away and give them some privacy," Nina informed.

The knights looked past the black stallion in surprise. Malon rested her against the mare's, and she gently hummed Epona's song, soothing the soon-to-be mother. The white horse let out a weak snort and nuzzled the rancher's hand. Unable to do anything, Malon's friends took a seat on the grass, waiting for the birth.

"Zelda?" Link's voice quietly asked.

The princess looked at the blue eyed boy.

"Yes, Link?" she softly responded.

"I'm...err...sorry about this morning. Believe me when I say it was an accident!" the hero blurted out.

"I believe you, Link," the princess replied.

Link looked at the girl in disbelief as she sounded so nonchalant for having her privacy invaded. Still not convinced with himself, Link reached behind him and pulled out a crown of flowers before handing it to the princess.

"I made this for you...as an apology for embarrassing you," he muttered as Zelda quietly took the crown of flowers.

The monarch turned a slight shade of pink before gently securing it on the top of her head. Zelda smiled as she clasped her hands together.

"All is forgiven. Thank you, Link," she said.

Link nodded with a smile in return before he looked to his right to find Leon raising an eyebrow.  
"You know how to make...these?" the knight questioned.

"You learn a lot and get bored while traveling by yourself for a long time," Link replied as he scratched the back of his neck.

/

"It's here! A girl" Malon's voice cried out after about fifteen minutes passed.

The curious bystanders jumped to their feet as the black stallion made his way over to the stable. Malon was quickly washing down the skinny newborn black foal as her mother licked her midnight black mane. The mare slowly got up, and the humans could not help but giggle and grin as the newborn clumsily clambered onto her legs. When the foal managed to get up on her legs, she followed her mother out of the stable and into the pasture before proceeding to nurse.

"Need help?" Leon asked as he saw Malon's tunic and pants stained with blood from the birthing process.

"Yeah. Do me favor and scrub this place down?" Malon requested as she cleaned up as much as she could with a rag before dumping the buckets of water.

Leon gave her a playful salute before grabbing a large brush attached to a stick and scrubbing the soapy stable floors. The rancher gave the knight a small smile before gathering the miscellaneous items laying around and moving them back to the equipment stable. Link joined Leon in cleaning the place where the miracle of birth had just occurred, and the two blond boys grinned.

"Zelda," Nina's voice said.

The princess snapped out of her awe and daze from the event that had taken place, and she looked at Nina's amber eyes with her blue eyes.

"That is what mothers do. They risk their lives for their children starting from birth. I cannot say much, but your mother, the late queen, loved you more than her own life. Believe and trust your mother like how you believe and trust in Impa. You're lucky that you had two mothers in your life, so don't be too hasty in this ordeal, okay?" the mage said as she gently smiled at Zelda.

"Yeah...thanks, Nina," the monarch replied with a smile of her own.

"Welcome, Zelda. It's what big sisters are for!" Nina exclaimed as she put an arm around the blond haired Hylian.

Malon approached them, and Nina pinched her nose and frantically waved in front of her face.

"Geez, Malon. You look and smell gross," the mage said in mocking voice.

"Right. Sorry, I was helping bring life into this word," the rancher muttered with a huff.

The rancher turned toward Link and Leon.

"I'll be back after changing out of these clothes. Can you boys stay out of trouble till then?" the red head yelled.

They waved back, which Malon assumed was a yes. Suddenly, Leon slipped on the watery ground, taking Link with him, and the two boys landed with a heavy thud. Malon sighed and shook her head.

"Don't worry, I'll watch them," Madeliene stated as she folded her arms.

The female knight noticed Zelda tilt her head to the side in curiosity.

"Native dialect of my hometown. Got hard to hide after a while," the ebony haired girl replied.

Zelda smiled in understanding before Malon took off toward the castle for a change of clothes. A white butterfly crossed her vision and took off into the woods, and Zelda recalled what had happened in the morning. The princess touched Nina's shoulder, causing the mage to turn away from her conversation with Madeliene.

"I have something to ask you since you are a mage," Zelda stated, her voice softer than normal.

Nina tilted her head, signaling the princess to continue.

"Is...magic after death possible?" she asked.

"Oh, sure! Especially if the caster was very powerful. Anything from sacred vows, enchantments, visions, magical items, familiars-"

"Familiars?" Zelda asked, interrupting Nina's response.

"Familiars are beings given shape by the caster's magic to aid in spells, companionship, and many other tasks. Most high level mages have more than one familiar they can use," Nina explained.

"The butterflies," the young monarch muttered.

"Butterflies?" Madeliene and Nina asked.

"Ah! Sorry just thinking to myself!" Zelda exclaimed.

"Okay...well why the interest?" the white mage questioned.

"Just...curiosity. Say, do you have a familiar?" the princess asked, quickly switching the topic.

The forced switch did not go unnoticed by Nina, but the mage decided to go along with it.

"No, not really. I've never had a need for one since most of my magic would not benefit from a familiar's assistance. If anything, having a familiar around would be too troublesome," Nina replied.

"Huh, maybe I can have a familiar too?" Zelda wondered out loud.

"Haha, sure. You definitely have enough magic for one!" the mage commented.

The princess smiled, and Malon returned in a fresh set of clothes consisting of a long gray skirt and white top. The two boys finally finished cleaning while Malon threw insults about their lack of speed all the while. While they all smiled and laughed, Zelda's mind returned to the shadowy figure and blue butterflies. Her vision suddenly blurred.

Small flashes of scenes danced before her eyes. A young woman with long platinum blond hair smiling, a blue butterfly perched on her finger. Her hand becoming wrapped to the haunting sword's hilt. Shadows dancing. A young Impa and Ruvelan. A casket.

Zelda gripped her head as she felt it splitting. Her pupils dilated as she rapidly blinked, trying to focus her vision. Sweat beaded on her forehead, teeth gnashed together, and her breath came out in short gasps.

"Hey! You okay?" came the distorted voice of Link.

With a touch of his hand to her shoulder, her condition faded as quickly as it had come, and Zelda felt completely fine again. This left the young monarch completely bewildered. She stared back at the concerned faces of her friends before waving her hands.

"S-Sorry. I'm just a bit tired. Must have been outside for too long. I'm heading back in," Zelda quickly replied before taking off.

Nina's amber eyes narrowed at the retreating form of the princess. The mage had never seen them until now, but bright blue butterflies fluttered around Zelda. Even the monarch herself could not see them, so Nina could only guess the butterflies were the work of a very high level mage, and she had a sneaking suspicion of who the mage was.


	12. The Strongest Sorcerer

Disclaimer: "

A/N: Reviews are always encouraged and appreciated!

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven: The Strongest Sorcerer**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

The next day, Zelda quietly sat in a meditation chamber in the Hall of Mystic Arts. She wore a simple cream colored dress with her ever present crown gracing her forehead. After asking the other mages in the hall about familiars, the princess decided to find the source of the magic inside the castle that somehow managed to escape her seventeen years of residence.

"Oh Goddesses, what I seek is the source of magic in this castle. I beg you to show me the form of the strongest caster!" Zelda chanted.

The Triforce symbol on the ground glowed a brilliant gold with the princess, and in the void space of the three triangles, Zelda saw a shadowy form emerge. The brilliant glow faded, and the young girl's breath hitched at the sight of the answer to her spell. Towering over the young monarch was the proud figure of a legendary life form unseen in Hyrule for centuries. The shadow dragon stretched its wings, filling the room with darkness, and its glowing purple eyes stared into Zelda's frightened blue ones.

In the darkness, the eyes of the shadow dragon and Zelda's glowing blue eyes were the only things to be seen. The princess felt the, what she assumed to be, magic familiar in close proximity. It's cold breath brushed against her face, but the longer she faced the purple eyes in the darkness, the more familiar its presence became. When Zelda finally relaxed, she heard a strange voice echo throughout the room.

_"You are the one who has summoned me, the guardian of the castle. What is it you seek?"_ the voice belonging to the dragon asked.

"I seek the source of the magic in this castle. Is it you?" Zelda asked, her voice confident.

_"Follow me if you seek answers,"_ the familiar replied.

The shadow dragon retracted its wings, allowing candle lights to fill the room once more. The princess looked on in surprise as the dragon morphed into a wolf-like form. The familiar cast Zelda another look with its purple eyes before phasing through the door. Beckoned by the prospect of answers, the princess did not hesitate to follow the apparition, and she raced after it, darting out of the Hall of Mystic Arts.

/

"Nina, you know more of what's going with Zelda than you admit. I saw it in your eyes yesterday," Malon's firm voice stated.

"True, I will not hide that, but you must understand that there are great magic forces involved that make matters in the castle very complicated. Even I don't know the whole story. We'll all find the truth when the other forces will it," the mage replied as she raised her hands in an effort to calm Zelda's best friend down.

"We can't do much for Zelda, especially if strong magic is involved. Don't be mad at Nina, alright?" Link said.

Link, Malon, and Nina had been standing around in the hallway near their rooms on the first floor. In the morning, the red head had confronted the blue haired mage about Zelda's strange behavior, and Link had happened to walk in right when it started. The green clad boy also tried his best to calm the aggravated rancher. An unknown presence sent a chill down his spine, and frantic steps reached his ears.

"Well, Link can definitely do a lot for Zelda by using his manly charms to-" Nina started.

Before Link could react to the noises, a shadowy creature passed right through Nina. The mage fell backward onto the floor, and Malon quickly forgot her anger as she checked on the young woman. A figure raced past them, and the bystanders all realized that it was Zelda frantically chasing after the creature.

"Hey! You okay?" Malon exclaimed.

"Yeah. I just feel...violated," Nina finished lamely as she recalled the feeling of the apparition passing right through her with a shudder.

Link took off without a word to chase after Zelda while Malon helped Nina up.

"Geez! Right when I was about to embarrass him! I'll teach that creature not to interrupt me!" the mage exclaimed.

"Er...I don't think that's the main point in this situation. Come on!" Malon exclaimed before grabbing Nina's wrist and running after Link.

After gathering her wits, Nina pulled in front of Malon and began dragging the rancher instead. The two girls saw Link enter a stairway leading to the basement, and before Malon could dash after him, Nina stopped her. The red head threw the mage a questioning look, and the blue haired woman grinned as she gestured toward the shield of a nearby decorative suit of armor.

/

"Ugh...Zel can sure run fast," Link muttered as he galloped down the seemingly endless stairway.

A grinding sound and Malon's scream reached his ears, and before he knew it, he was off his feet. Link looked to see Nina grabbing onto his tunic's collar while Malon was desperately clinging to the mage's neck, screaming at the top of her lungs. Sparks flew as Nina used the shield as a sled.

"Blast! I don't know how to stop it!" Nina exclaimed as they reached the end of the stairs.

"What! Are you ki-" Malon screeched, but she was interrupted by the sensation of being airborne.

Nina was smiling apologetically at Malon with sweat forming on her face.

"It seems that the shield has stopped, but we haven't," the mage said nervously.

Before Malon could scream at Nina, the three landed in a heap on the floor after skidding a few feet. Link groaned as he became the first one to sit up. He shook his head and stood up, helping Malon up before helping Nina up. As soon as Malon regained her senses, the rancher locked an arm around Nina's neck.

"Don't you dare do that again!" she exclaimed as she strangled the mage.

"I-I promise!" Nina squeaked out.

Malon released her hold, and the blue haired woman leaned against the wall, panting for breath. Link had decided to ignore the two for his own safety, and he scratched his face in confusion. The young hero tilted his head from side to side, but he could only let out a sigh.

"I have no idea where we are. Guess our only hope is to find Zelda," Link commented as he grabbed one of the torches mounted on the wall.

The blond haired boy started walking down the dark hallway, followed closely by Malon and the staggering Nina. When she recovered, Nina noticed the poor condition of their surroundings as the group danced around debris. After advancing down the hall for a few minutes, Link spotted a small light in the distance. The group closed in on the source of light, and they found Zelda with several small balls of light around her.

The lupine shadow creature paced a bit before it reverted back to its dragon form. Zelda's friends sucked in a breath in surprise and fear as the form's glowing purple eyes looked upon them, but the princess surprised them as she gently laid a gloved hand on the dragon's head. It let out a low rumble akin to purring as Zelda gently stroked its shadow form.

"I'm sorry. You've been waiting for me all this time, haven't you?" the blond Hylian apologized.

The dragon nuzzled Zelda's cheek and a purple liquid leaked from its eyes, dropping like tears.

_"I've protected my master's most precious treasure for seventeen years. Now I may return to her side and let destiny take over. Goodbye, Treasured One,"_ the creature gently whispered before it promptly scattered into the darkness as a plethora of glowing light particles.

The glowing particles reassembled on the wall in the shape of the Royal Family's bird insignia, and they vanished, leaving Zelda and her friends in the dark hallway. Sensing Zelda in deep thought, the others refrained from speaking as the monarch observed the wall where the remnants of the shadow had vanished. There were a bunch of tiles that seemed to be scrambled with a tile missing in the corner.

Zelda began to shift the tiles without much thought, and she lifted her hands as the Royal Family's bird insignia was assembled from the scrambled tiles. It glowed a brilliant blue before the wall let out a groan to reveal another set of stairs, this time leading upward.

The princess stood frozen in front of the newly revealed path. She felt a soothing weight on her shoulder plate, and she turned around to find Nina smiling at her encouragingly. Link and Malon nodded, and Zelda turned back around to face the dark stairway. Link moved up to stay by Zelda's side with the torch while Malon and Nina followed behind them as they climbed the stairs. After what seemed like an eternity, the group came to a dead end. The blond haired monarch placed a delicate gloved hand on the wall, and before their very eyes, purple inscriptions crawled along the wall.

Link let out a sigh before throwing his weight against the structure. The stairway lit up as the hero was electrocuted by blue lightning, and Link was thrown back. Thanks to Nina's quick reactions, the mage managed to grab Link's tunic, stopping the lad from having an unpleasant trip down.

"Let's not try that again," Nina muttered while slapping Link upside the head after helping the hero stand back up.

"Gah!" Link grunted out as he held his head in surprise.

"Leave it to Zelda, okay?" Malon said as she contributed to Link's punishment with a gentle slap to the shoulder.

The princess of Hyrule began to read the runes out loud.

"Forever do I wait in the pool of eternity. Secrets within me do they lie. From the shadows I watch. From the light I guide. Let my tears become blood. Let my eyes become hands."

With her naturally sharp mind, Zelda solved the riddle with little effort as she held up her hands, palms exposed to the wall. The inscriptions shuddered before swirling in a purple vortex and redistributing itself to form the Triforce with the Sheikah eye below it. The blond gently placed her hands over the pupil of the Sheikah symbol, and the design blinked once before a red colored substance began to leak from it while the purple faded into the same color. The eye glowed before the magic seal shattered, causing the wall to sink with a heavy groan. Light flooded the vision of the four explorers.

When their vision cleared, their lips parted in awe as they stepped into a large dusty white room that still managed to glow in the afternoon's gentle light. All of the furniture in the room was covered with white sheets for the sake of preservation, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Zelda closed her eyes and clasped her hands to her heart.

"Zelda?" Link asked, noticing her actions.

"This feeling...so warm and familiar..." the princess whispered.

She opened her royal blue eyes before walking toward the wall. The blond haired girl felt a pull on her soul coming from a covered picture mounted on the wall. Zelda reached for the cloth covering it, and with a gentle tug, the sheet floated down to the marbe floor.

"...from Mother," she finished as the picture revealed itself.

Zelda's friends sucked in a frantic breath as wine red eyes stared back at them. In the picture frame was the portrait of a woman in what seemed to be her late twenties or thirties. The painting captured the healthy glow of her skin, which was slightly darker than the regular fair skin of women royalty. Her ruby red lips were curved upward in a smile that seemed to hold a mystery, and her long waves of platinum blond hair cascaded down her shoulders while two neatly wrapped locks rested in front of her short pointed ears. Gold armor decorated her shoulders, forearms, and waist in the form of shoulder pads, bracers, and tassets. However, the facial features were like that of an aged Zelda staring back at them.

"Mother," Zelda sighed out again, a single tear escaping from her left eye as she gently touched the painting.

"It's been seventeen years since anybody was able to enter this room."

Zelda and her friends turned to find Impa standing in front of the double doors leading to the castle halls.

"This is the room of the late queen, your mother, and my dear friend Fiora: the strongest sorcerer this land had seen in the past century," Impa informed as her usually stony face softened upon looking at the late queen's portrait.

"Then...all of the magic in the castle was her doing?" Zelda asked, her voice filled with awe.

"Yes. Your mother had sensed her premature departure from this world, and she used her magic to ensure the safety of the castle and you, her beloved daughter, until the time came when you would no longer need her protection in your seventeenth year," the Sheikah replied.

Silent tears rolled down Zelda's cheeks as she felt a rush of warmth into her heart, realizing that her mother had used her magic to protect her after her own death.

"On her desk is a letter addressed to you," Impa stated.

The princess sniffled and quickly wiped her tears before pulling the white sheet covering the desk. It fluttered to the ground, revealing the piece of furniture spotless save for a sealed envelope bearing the emblem of the Royal Family. Zelda picked up the envelope gingerly, fearing that her mother's memento would crumble into dust from age. The young monarch walked over to the window before breaking the seal and unfolding the pages containing Fiora's last words.

"I, the Queen of Hyrule, am writing this letter the day of my death.

Whoever reads this letter will be reading it after my parting from this world. I received a message from the sentient beings of the skies, the Goddesses. At the break of dawn, I will leave this world and my dear family behind. Zelda, a name of power, is the calling of my daughter. She has an overflowing power that even at such a young age is powerful enough to shift the favor of war to one side. With her birth, I am no longer the strongest sorcerer of the century.

This letter is written for her sake. She will read this when she is of the right age. Zelda my dear, please forgive Impa, your Father, the castle servants, old knights, and other acquaintances of mine. It was I who cast the spell to erase my presence from the castle to ease your heart and soul. I also requested everyone to keep silent so that you may discover this on your own. I pray that you do not stay bitter towards me forever. All will become clear soon enough. Through a vision, the Goddesses have warned me that the shadows of the Unification War will return to fill the void. Void of what I do not know.

For Impa, I am sorry we could not share one last drink together before my departure. Thank you for staying with me until the end, my dear friend. Please aid Zelda in her times of need to come. I trust in you forever as you did in me. Remember our oath. Soon, her overflowing power will become clear.

Signed by the late Queen of Hyrule, Fiora."

With the utterance of her mother's name, Zelda gently folded the letter and held it to her chest. Silence pervaded the room after the Hylian's dress swished against the floor as she turned to face her friends. She seemed to glow in a holy light as her back faced the window. Impa knelt before the princess, bowing deeply with a hand to her heart.

"I, Impa the guardian of her late majesty Fiora and current princess Zelda, have sworn to guard the Royal Family eternally. Your mother left me her will and engraved it into my being. May the Goddesses protect you and give you the strength to accept the Queen's will," the Sheikah guardian said.

Impa felt Zelda's delicate hands on her shoulders, and the middle aged woman looked into the monarch's blue eyes in surprise. Zelda placed her forehead to Impa's before closing her eyes and letting a single tear escape from each eye.

"It must have been hard, looking at my mother through me every day for seventeen years. I just wanted to tell you that you are the mother who raised me, Impa. Thank you for taking care of me all these years," the princess whispered.

Impa's heart burst, and in a rare moment of love and affection, the Sheikah engulfed her adoptive daughter in a tight embrace while burying her chin in Zelda's blond hair. The princess returned the affectionate gesture with a tight squeeze. Zelda's friends could not help but smile at the sweet moment between what truly seemed like a mother and daughter.

"The only hard thing was thinking that you would not see your mother in this world, but looking at you put my heart at ease whenever I longed to see my dear sister in arms. It has been an honor raising you as my own daughter, Zelda," Impa said, her voice cracking.

Zelda's expression softened.

"I will accept whatever destiny awaits me, for I have nothing to fear because I have never been alone," the princess stated.


	13. Fiora of Hyrule

Disclaimer: "

A/N: I would really appreciate reviews over simple story faves and alerts! Reviews help me push the story along!

Story notes:

(1) This is referring to honorifics used by many Asian cultures. For example in Japan, they use -san (elder), -chan (small child or close friend), -kun (friends), and senpai (someone senior to you like in school) while in Korea they use -nim (basic honorific), hyung (boy addressing older boy), and oppa (girl addressing older boy).

* * *

_**Chapter Twelve: Fiora of Hyrule**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

Zelda awoke in response to the sun's gentle rays. With her mother's memory spell gone, her dreams had become more vivid. In the place of the shadowy figure was the blond haired woman, her mother. However, the mysterious sword continued to appear in her sleeping visions. The Hylian gently smiled as her blue eyes found the letter from her mother on the nightstand. Feeling refreshed with the new knowledge she had obtained, the princess quickly changed into a simple light green dress, and she left her room to start the day. When the young monarch closed the door with a click, a glowing blue butterfly gently landed on the letter.

/

"So you met my mother?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah, when I first came to Hyrule. I met her when I was summoned to heal soldiers after the Siege on Kakariko during the Unification War. That's when I also held you after you were born," Nina replied.

Zelda and her friends sat with Impa inside one of the social halls of the castle, chatting over tea and cakes.

"What was she like?" the princess questioned, her eyes shimmering with curiosity.

Impa's painted red lips curved upward the slightest as Nina smiled.

"She was beautiful, and she was also very strong in character. Even though I did not see the late queen fight or use magic, I could sense that she had a great amount of magic power. You remind me of her a lot, actually," Nina said before taking a sip of her tea.

The princess smiled before turning her attention toward Impa.

"You know, I never even thought that my mother would be a Sheikah," Zelda said.

"Ah, you seem to have figured it out already," the middle aged woman commented with mild surprise.

"It wasn't that hard. Mother has red eyes and short ears, characteristic to all Sheikah," the princess replied, giving Impa a look that said that she should have known better.

"Very sharp. Well, what would you like to ask me?" Impa questioned.

"Were you and my mother close?" the blond haired girl asked.

Impa smiled a rare smile.

"We were like sisters. Our friends swore that we were separated at birth. It was by some strange twist of fate that she would marry into the Royal Family while I became her protector," the Sheikah replied.

The middle aged care taker noticed Zelda tilt her head in confusion at her words.

"The Sheikah have always protected the Royal Family, all the way back to the time of the very first ancestor, the Holy Maiden, before Hyrule had even formed. The name of the protector who serves the Holy Maiden's female descendants has always been Impa. Sometimes the Goddesses will send a vision to the Sheikah oracle to choose the next Impa. Sometimes the chosen one will be born with the name Impa like I was, or the chosen one will undergo a trial to accept the name," Impa explained as the younger ones listened intently.

"But wasn't Mother of a high rank? If she wasn't, she would not have been able to marry Father," Zelda pointed out.

"Dear child, the name Impa and title Leader of the Sheikah are independent. Because those named Impa must always remain by the side of the Holy Maiden's female descendant, another will more often than not assume the role of the leader. When the Goddesses told the oracle that I would be named Impa, your mother was selected as leader due to her extraordinary talent in magic and politics. Of course, no one suspected that His Majesty would court Fiora," the silver haired woman evaluated, her lip curling into a smirk.

Nina noticed the Sheikah's look of amusement.

"You find something funny, and I'm guessing it's about the courtship. Care to explain?" the mage asked.

"His Majesty claimed it was love at first sight. The late queen visited the castle for the first time after becoming the Leader of the Sheikah, and when she was introduced to the Royal House, His Majesty became infatuated with her. The late queen disliked him at first, often calling him spineless and soft, but with his persistence, His Majesty managed to convince Lady Fiora to give him a chance. She eventually came to reciprocate the King's feelings, and as you know, she married into the Royal Family. After a few years, you were born," Impa elaborated.

By the time Impa had finished, Link saw Zelda's glowing smile and expression. The young lad had not seen his friend this happy in a really long time, and he could not help but find himself smiling at her happiness. Malon and Nina shared Link's empathy, and they smiled too. On the other hand, Impa's smile faded, but her face remained soft and gentle toward her best friend's daughter.

"As half-Sheikah, you will need to learn the customs and culture of our people. I will teach you a little everyday. Your friends are welcome to listen to my lessons as well. Would you like for me to teach now or later today?" Impa asked.

"Go ahead now. You know that I love learning new things," Zelda replied as her eyes shimmered with anticipation.

"Very well. Since I already mentioned it, I will tell you about our race's form of hierarchy. At the very top is the Leader of the Sheikah, formally your mother. At the same rank level is the appointed guardian of the Royal Family, Impa, currently me. As I explained before, these two positions are distinct due to differing duties. Any questions, My Princess?" the middle aged woman inquired.

Zelda shook her head, signaling Impa to continue.

"We also have an oracle, one who receives divine messages and sees time. The oracle is ranked with the Leader and Impa in terms of importance. Due to the nature of the oracle's role, he or she is an independent force outside of the hierarchy. Remember this, Princess Zelda. Most human races will have an oracle to compensate for the lack of specialized abilities compared to other races like the Zora or Gorons," Impa continued.

"Human race? So the Gerudo have an oracle as well?" Malon asked.

"Indeed, but because the oracle holds special powers, the identity of an oracle is concealed for fear of losing the power to see into the future and hear divine messages. However, a common trait for many, if not all, oracles is that they are blind," the Sheikah explained.

"I have heard that being without sight allows the other senses to develop, including ones that do not exist for normal people such as magic sense, aura sense, and many others," Nina commented.

"Yes, that is why most oracles are blind. Without sight, they unlock their dormant senses that lead them to be extremely sensitive to changes in the flow of the world. Returning to the main subject, below the oracle, leader, and Impa, are the Elders. They are simply aged Sheikah that have many years of worldly knowledge. The Elders act like a council of sorts to advise the Leader. Much like this kingdom, we also have military officials ranking below the Elders," Impa said.

Malon and Link seemed to have a hard time digesting all the new information, but Zelda merely nodded and absorbed her guardian's words like a sponge. Nina's amber eyes sparkled with amusement as she sipped her tea.

"One more thing before we end our lesson for today. The Sheikah are a very close-knit race, and we function like a family unit. We will address our fellow Sheikah with honorifics related to families even if we are not related by blood. For example, in the case of your mother, we called each other Sister (1)," the silver haired woman added.

"So, what would I call you?" Zelda asked, her voice soft.

Impa seemed rather surprised by the question, but she quickly recovered before closing her eyes in thought.

"Perhaps Aunt would be appropriate since you are my dearest friend's daughter," the Sheikah replied.

"Aunt Impa?" Link muttered.

"Doesn't flow very well," Nina added.

Malon giggled at the commentary as Impa let out a sigh.

"Perhaps Auntie would flow better," the rancher commented.

"Auntie...Impa?" the blue haired mage wondered before busting out laughing.

"Sorry, Impa. It seems like I'm too used to calling you just by Impa," Zelda admitted as she scratched her cheek.

"It is fine, Princess. I would not prefer it any other way," the Sheikah replied as she ignored the slowly dying laughter of Zelda's friends.

"Well, thank you for the lesson, Impa. It was fun," the young blond said.

"You're welcome, Princess. Now let's leave this room. You and your friends go outside to get some fresh air. I have some tasks to take care of," Impa stated.

The occupants of the room soon vacated the space to fill the hallway. Zelda's friends bid goodbye to Impa before walking toward the exit to the courtyard. The Sheikah noticed Zelda still near her as her friends disappeared around the corner.

"You have something on your mind?" the middle aged woman asked in the gentle tone she reserved only for her adoptive daughter.

"Yes...um...what would you call the person you love?" the blushing princess questioned.

Impa kept her face void of any emotions, but on the inside, the Sheikah was grinning.

"Because we are a very wary race, we do not hold an special titles for the one we love for fear of losing them in the midst of battle. However, because they are the ones closest to us, we simply call them by name without any titles," Zelda's guardian replied.

The perceptive Sheikah noticed Zelda's slight look of disappointment, so she decided to continue.

"But when we realize our affections, we officially acknowledge our significant other as the Other Half," Impa concluded.

"Other Half?" Zelda asked.

"Correct. Like light and shadow, we are two sides of the same coin. It is a concept similar to what Hylians call soul mates," Impa explained.

"I see," the blond muttered.

"Do you have Another Half?" the Sheikah asked, her voice tinged with the slightest mischief.

The princess turned tomato red.

"I...err...maybe!" Zelda yelled before she quickly turned on her heel and ran away from her caretaker to chase after her friends.

Impa felt her ruby red lips curve upward.

/

The Princess of Hyrule stared up at the ceiling of her room, unable to sleep even though her body rested on the bed. After eating dinner, Impa had pulled Zelda aside and whispered a riddle left behind by her mother to lead Zelda toward discovering and accepting the late queen's will. Her eyes gazed at the mural of the creation of Hyrule painted on the ceiling as she recalled her nursemaid's words.

"Right now, the Sheikah remain without an official leader. I am merely filling in until you rise to take the position. The oracle received a vision that you would be the next leader when you were born, so the late queen has left a series of trials for you to undergo in place of the traditional Sheikah Leader trials. These trials prevent stray members or other people from discovering the truth of our people. I will only be able to offer some words of wisdom, but even I do not know of the challenges, only that you are supposed to start the trial. The rest is left to you Zelda.

Your first trial is to answer this riddle that I have memorized as your mother's most trusted friend.

Even if the shadows seem sinister, they are your friends. In the storage of knowledge, flee through the window at the hour where our world crosses over with the one of our dearly departed. Seek where darkness consumes the light, yet still exists. But be wary as the wrong day or hour will be dreadfully fatal."

Zelda's blue eyes found their way to her journal where she had recorded the riddle as well as various notes trying to decode it. A sudden tap noise caused the princess to quickly sit up and scan the room for the source, and she spotted a familiar head of light blue hair on her balcony. The princess climbed out of bed, her small and delicate feet meeting the chilling marble floor of her room. The click accompanying the opening of the door caused the mage to turn her head around and greet the princess.

"Hello, Zelda. Sorry if I woke you," Nina apologized.

"No, no. It's fine. I was having trouble sleeping," Zelda replied.

"I bet. It's only natural with the many things that have happened in the past couple of days," the blue haired woman said.

"So, why exactly are you here?" the princess questioned.

"Oh, right. I'm not being creepy or anything. It's just that your balcony has the best view, especially at night," Nina quickly explained.

Zelda took a moment to look at the scenery with the mage. Tiny stars dotted the sky, lighting up the night, while the presence of lamps gave Hyrule Castle Town a soft and pleasant glow. A nearly full moon gently embraced the midnight blue expanse, and the princess could not help but agree with Nina.

"I never really took the time to notice," Zelda muttered.

Nina performed a few cartwheels on the balcony railing before taking a seat, suspending her legs outside of the railing and above the courtyard. The princess leaned against the railing, enjoying the silent company of the mage. Zelda looked at Nina's profile, and the monarch wondered about the mage's past.

"Nina, what is your family like?" the young princess questioned.

The mage looked at Zelda with surprise at the seemingly unexpected question. Nina quickly recovered before holding her chin in thought.

"I wish I could give you a definite answer," Nina muttered.

Zelda's blue eyes looked at the mage in even greater surprise.

"My memories are scrambled, and some are missing. I have no memories of anything prior to eighteen years ago," the woman evaluated.

"Oh...sorry," Zelda whispered.

"Nah, it's nothing to feel sorry about, but I will say I remember the warmth of my mother, voice of my sister, and the face of my other half," the mage said.

The princess blushed as she heard the words "other half" mentioned again.

"Is that the man you're looking for?" Zelda asked.

Nina nodded.

"We've been together since the start of our memories. Even though our memories are a mess, our present memories are our most precious ones. Meeting your mother, you, and your friends are valuable moments to me," the blue haired woman stated.

The young monarch looked at the mage, touched by her words. Nina sensed Zelda's emotions, and she turned her head so that her amber eyes made contact with Zelda's blue ones.

"If you ever find yourself in my position with memories awry, go to the one closest to your heart, because he will surely restore everything to their rightful place," Nina said as she patted Zelda's head.

The mage's words took a moment to register, and when they did, the princess blushed. However instead of vehemently tripping over her words like she had with Impa, Zelda found herself more at ease with the foreigner.

"Is it that obvious?" the blond huffed out.

Nina lightly laughed before responding.

"To someone who has experienced love before, yes," the mage replied.

"I have heard many adults say my age is too young to know what love is...but it is strange. I feel like I have known Link for an eternity, and I certainly do not feel seventeen," Zelda confessed as she looked at the twinkling stars on the midnight curtain of the sky.

"If you are certain of your feelings, there is no need to hesitate. He might be snatched away by another girl," Nina mused as she began gently kicking her legs.

"A-Another girl?" the princess stuttered out.

"Kidding, Zelda. I'm kidding, but you should still tell him your true feelings. After all, you are of marrying age next year by law," the mage said.

Zelda meditated upon Nina's words of wisdom. It is true that the Royal Council had been pushing her father to arrange her marriage with another nobleman, but luckily, her father denied their requests in an effort to protect Zelda's hand in marriage until the last possible second. The princess was pulled out of her thoughts when Nina let out a yawn, and the blond found herself yawning as well. The two exchanged a brief glance before laughing.

"Go to sleep, Zelda. It's been a long day," Nina suggested.

"Alright. I'll see you in the morning then. Goodnight, Nina," the princess said before turning around and opening the balcony door.

"Sleep well, Zelda," the mage called back.

A click signified the close of the door, and Nina turned to watch Zelda settle into her bed and close her eyes. The mage smiled before she jumped onto the roof and headed back to her room. As her feet made the tiniest rattling noises against the shingles, Nina felt a powerful pulse constrict her body, and the blue haired woman lost her footing. Her body tumbled down the roof before she managed to dig her hands against the surface to slow her descent, eventually slowing to a stop at the edge of the roof. Sweat dripped down her face as her vision doubled.

After a few minutes of laying still, Nina warily walked the rest of the way to her room's balcony, and she clumsily landed in a heap in front of the doors into her room. The mage shook her head before looking at her shaking hand. The sensation suddenly stopped and the blue haired woman felt fine again. Worry filled her soul as she entered her modest room.

/

"Zelda...Zelda...Zelda?"

The princess opened her eyes and found a familiar silhouette behind the balcony curtains. She opened the balcony doors to find her shadow being displayed on the balcony floor. The shadow shifted from Zelda's position into a position of its own and smiled, the absence of shadow marking her mouth.

"Were you calling my name?" Zelda asked, looking down at her shadow.

"I was," the shadow replied.

"Who are you?" the princess inquired.

"Someone that has been with you all this time," the shadow softly replied.

Zelda opened her mouth to ask more but was stopped by a sudden pull from an unseen force. She could not scream in surprise as she was pulled off the balcony. Her shadow was looking at her. All became white as she felt herself falling. An ethereal hand then appeared.

"Take my hand," a familiar voice whispered.

The princess extended her hand to grab the hand of the other.

"Walk with me," the gentle voice whispered.

Zelda grasped the transparent blue hand and felt herself being pulled up.

"When twilight passes and midnight fades, dawn will break to begin the new age."

Her vision faded, and then the princess became lost in sleep.


	14. Signs

Disclaimer: "

A/N: Hello! Sorry that it's been a while. School has kept me busy. My computer crashed a couple of months ago, so I lost lots of time and progress on all my stories. I lost all my progress on this chapter, so I had to start over :( Please check out my new story Double-Sided Majesty (a prequel to Twilight Ever After)! It's a novelization of Twilight Princess from Zelda's point of view!

Story Notes:

1. This is a reference to the Ocarina of Time manga. I always liked the thought that Sheikah men would pierce their ears when they came of age.

* * *

_**Chapter Thirteen: Signs**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

"My Princess."

Knocking on the door roused the slumbering Hylian. Her vibrant blue eyes opened, the tell tale sheen and glow of magic fading from them as they focused. Zelda slowly sat up to find, and she looked at her door only to find Impa poking her head into her room.

"Your magic flared again. Are you alright?" the Sheikah gently asked.

"Yes...just...another vision. I will be out soon," Zelda replied.

Impa silently nodded before closing the door to give the young monarch some privacy. As soon as her caretaker vanished from sight, the princess hugged her legs to her chest. There was something in her dreams that caused uneasiness in her soul. Her mother had vacated her realm of sleep, and Zelda felt lonelier than before, no longer able to see the late queen in her dreams. There was also the nagging sensation at the back of the Hylian's mind saying that she would not be able to live in peace after accepting her role as the leader of another race. With a heavy hearted sigh, Zelda threw off her bed covers and got dressed.

/

After eating breakfast, Zelda entered the same room from yesterday where Impa had given the princess her first lesson on the Sheikah. The princess opened the door, and her friends greeted her with a chorus of voices. Their warmth drew forth a smile from her otherwise quiet state, and Zelda took a seat on the open spot next to Link. The young blond Hylian noticed something amiss with the young monarch, but decided against asking her, making a mental note to talk to her later.

"Are you ready for your next lesson, Princess?" Impa asked.

Zelda nodded, and the Sheikah took that as the sign to continue.

"Today, I will tell you about various aspects of our culture, starting with our function as a race in relation to Hyrule," the middle aged woman stated.

The princess and her friends sat up attentively and tuned in for Impa's lecture.

"We Sheikah are known as the Shadow Folk. The Goddesses assigned us the duty of protecting the Royal Family who carries the blood of divinity, hence we are the shadows of the Hylians who watch their backs. We obey the will of the Goddesses, delivered through our Oracle. The guardians of the Royal Family have always been females of our race who eventually adopt the title of Impa," the silver haired woman explained.

"The Sheikah have men too...right?" Malon asked.

Impa let out a snort at Malon's innocent question.

"I assure you that we are not like the Gerudo who only have one male born every century. We do in fact have men, but they are seldom seen by non-Sheikah due to the nature of the missions they are assigned. As you know, Kakariko Village was originally a settlement for the Sheikah. There was a time when we were always seen out in the open, but because few of us are alive now, we stay hidden to preserve our dying race," the Sheikah explained, her voice getting quieter toward the end.

Zelda's mentor saw the questions in the young monarch's eyes, but the questioning look soon faded as Zelda saw the hurt in Impa's eyes.

"Yes, my dear child. You are part of a dying race. I know you have many questions about our people, but you are not ready to learn the truth to the questions you seek. For now, please be content with listening to me today," the red eyed Sheikah said.

The princess suddenly saw Impa age before her eyes. Unable to bear watching her motherly figure seem so tired, Zelda quickly nodded and swallowed any questions her tongue had conjured.

"The Sheikah men serve as scouts, craftsmen, and warriors like the Sheikah women. However, the Sheikah men have a tendency to go on more difficult missions that have a higher risk of death. Of course, accomplished Sheikah women have permission to go on these missions as well. Unlike most of Hyrule, we have no divided gender roles as a race. We think together and live together, like a single unit. In a sense, we are very much like the Gerudo who function as a unit in order to survive," Impa elaborated.

"Do you have something equivalent to knight ranks?" Link questioned, curious about the Sheikah warrior's life.

"We do indeed have a rank and honor system. For example..." Impa began before she placed a hand to her earlobe.

Link tilted his head, also feeling his earlobe.

"Earring?" the hero asked.

"Yes. Sheikah males will pierce their ears when they come of age (1). Sheikah females do not pierce their ears, and the right is solely reserved for the leader of the Sheikah who has always been female. Sheikah warriors in training will receive a facial tattoo representing their generation. Once they complete the trial to become full fledged warriors, they receive new facial tattoos to replace their generation tattoo. As they make great accomplishments in life and obtain respect, they may add more tattoos. Otherwise, tattoos are limited to family or occupational signifiers. Tattoos are not used as mere bodily decoration," the Sheikah explained.

The young ones sat to absorb the cultural morsel before Impa cast a glance to the sun's position outside.

"The lesson is over for today. We will continue tomorrow," she stated.

"Thanks for the lesson, Impa," Zelda said, smiling gently at her guardian.  
"You're welcome, Princess. You should consider spending a day outside of the castle today. The weather is quite nice," Impa replied, her voice softer than usual.

"Are you giving me permission to go?" the monarch questioned, her voice climbing in volume from excitement.

"When you make up your mind on where to go, let me know," the Sheikah said.

"Thank you, Impa!" Zelda exclaimed, giving her guardian a quick hug before dragging Link and Malon off.

The red haired Hylian looked at Nina as she made her way to the door, her wrist in Zelda's grasp.

"You coming, Nina?" the ranch girl called out.

The mage held up a hand.

"I'll catch up in a bit," Nina replied.

As soon as the young Hylians left the room, the mage felt her body pulse painfully, and Nina let out a low growl as she gripped her chest.

"Nina!" Impa exclaimed as she left her chair to attend to the sweating mage.

"G-Give me a bit," the blue haired woman gasped out.

The painful sensation faded away, and Nina gasped for breath.

"You are ill. When did this begin?" Impa asked, taking a seat next to the foreigner.

"I felt a similar sensation last night...I have not been in the best of shape ever since I was captured. I thought I had fully recovered, but there is something amiss," Nina replied as she bundled her hair onto the top of her head in an effort to cool herself down.

Impa took a brief moment to check over the mage, but nothing seemed to be wrong with her body.

"You seem physically fine, but I sensed a spike in your spirit and mana when you seized up. This is not a physical illness, but rather one of the spiritual side," the Sheikah explained.

"Spiritual...can you not help me, Impa?" Nina asked as her tired amber eyes looked into the red eyes of the Sheikah.

"I am afraid not. I do not have enough knowledge at this moment to help you, but I will see what I can do. In the meantime, stay with Zelda," Impa replied.

"But...I don't want them to see me if I do happen to seize again. They will worry," the mage muttered.

The Sheikah held her chin for a few moments, seemingly debating on telling Nina something.

"The gentle aura of the princess has strange effects. I suspect that her presence will keep your attacks at bay," Impa said.

Nina raised a sceptical blue eyebrow.

"Zelda is not yet fully aware of the extent of her own power. She unconsciously releases magic to keep the mana from overwhelming her body. You must have noticed it as well, the strange presence that shields the princess," the Sheikah elaborated.

"I thought that the presence was the late queen," Nina admitted.  
"The familiars are the late queen's, but the familiars consume the magic Zelda releases. My Sister knew that Zelda was born with an abnormal amount of magic, so in order to keep the mana from destroying Zelda, she created the familiars to keep her magic in check until she was a powerful enough to regulate her own magic," Impa explained.

"Just how much magic does that girl have?" the mage asked in disbelief as she fully absorbed Impa's words.

"You have heard that when she was born, the civil war shifted in our favor, correct?" the Sheikah asked.

"You must be jesting with me. That amount of magic cannot possibly exist in a mortal," Nina reasoned.

"And how can you be so sure?" Impa questioned.

"I have researched a lot of magic in the process of becoming a sorcerer myself..." the mage blurted out before her voice died as soon as she realized what she said.

"You have no memories prior to eighteen years ago. Surely you did not study that magic while in the hands of that slave trader," the Sheikah pointed out, her red eyes observing the mage with great curiosity.

"I-I don't know...I just don't know. I do not have memories prior to eighteen years ago, but I remember how to use my magic and how to fight. What in the name of the Goddesses happened to me before then?" Nina wondered as she massaged her temples.

"You are not Hylian, Sheikah, Gerudo, or any other race that lives in this land. You have not aged a day since seventeen years ago. Perhaps we will be able to find answers once your companion arrives in Hyrule," Impa offered in an attempt to comfort the confused mage.

"I guess..." the blue haired woman managed to weakly agree.

"Go join the Princess. Spend the day together with them," the older woman gently urged.

"...Thanks, Impa," Nina sighed out before she gripped the door handle.

The blue haired mage gave a polite tilt of the head before disappearing from sight, leaving Impa to ponder upon Nina's existence.

/

"Nina!" Zelda's gentle voice called out.

The sorceress made her way to Zelda and her friends standing outside in the courtyard.

"Have you decided on a place yet?" Nina questioned.

"Yep! Lake Hylia!" Malon interjected.

"And tell me why Lake Hylia?" the mage added.

"Picnic and swimming!" the rancher replied.

"Well, aren't you excited," Nina commented.

"Of course I'm excited! It feels like it's been forever since I've been outside of the castle!" Malon quipped back.

"Excuuuuse me, Princess," the blue haired mage mockingly sang out with her equally sarcastic bow.

The fearless ranch girl elbowed Nina in the side, causing her to keel over.

"Let's leave her," Malon stated as she started heading toward the stables.

"Wait! I'm sorry!" Nina managed to groan out.

"All in good fun," Link muttered in an attempt at consolation, gently patting Nina's back.

"Was that supposed to be comforting?" the mage grumbled.

"Oh, come on. It could not have hurt that much," Zelda chastised as she helped the mage stand back up.

"She has incredibly sharp elbows," Nina replied before casting a look at the shrinking form of Malon.

Zelda noticed the mischievous glint in the golden eyes of the mage as she proceeded to walk after Link. The princess knew that look all too well, as she had given that look many times when plotting escapades from the castle when she was young. A sudden chill went down her spine as something tickled her magic sense. Zelda's eyes glowed very faintly as she quickly looked around for the disturbance. A black mist loomed at the back of Nina.

"Zelda? Are you alright?" Link's gentle voice called.

The princess blinked, and the black mist was no longer there. Only Link and Nina stared back at her with puzzled looks. Perhaps she had imagined it.

"Yeah, sorry. Got lost in thought," Zelda replied before lightly jogging up to her friends.

She could sense that something was amiss with the blue haired mage. An inkling feeling. As Zelda glanced at the mage, she recalled a magic lesson she had received from Impa once. Black mist in the realm of dreams represented foreboding. It was sometimes synonymous with a "curtain of death." The Princess of Hyrule wished with all her heart that what she had seen had been an illusion or imagination.

/

Link laid on the grass after a fulfilling lunch looking up at the clear blue skies, wearing only a pair of gray shorts, waiting for the females to situate themselves. He would never understand women. After all, they were only going for a brief swim. His Hylian ears twitched as they picked up a wolf whistle.

"Princess, you have quite an athletic figure hidden under that dress of yours," Nina's voice commented.

"I could say the same about you!" Zelda managed to mutter, sounding a little flustered.

"Unlike you, My Princess, I do not wear dresses. I find them to be highly impractical," the mage replied.

"Pick on Malon too!" the princess whined.

"Well, it's to be expected for Malon. After all, she is a rancher," Nina merely replied.

"I bet you just don't want to get elbowed again," Malon snorted out.

"I'm sure you would have punctured my lungs with those sharp joints of yours," the mage retorted.

"Mind saying that again?" the rancher's voice muttered lowly.

"Time to swim!" Nina replied.

Link felt a rush of wind to his left, catching a glimpse of blue hair. A rush of wind to his right was followed by red hair. Instead of receiving another breeze, a familiar face filled his vision as Zelda crouched down from above Link's head to look at his face. Her golden hair tickled his face.

"Gonna join us?" the princess questioned.

"Yeah. I thought I was going to become a raisin waiting for you to...what exactly did you say? Get ready?" Link replied.

"Well, excuse me for not being a guy. I did not feel comfortable changing in front of you," Zelda snapped, sticking her tongue out.

Link just smiled as he placed a finger to Zelda's forehead and pushed her back to give himself room to get up. The princess landed on her behind with a pout as Link stood up. Her hero extended a helping hand, which she quickly accepted. Zelda could not help her wandering eyes, taking in the sight of Link's exposed chest and back. He had grown up well.

Unbeknownst to Zelda, Link also took the opportunity to look over the princess who he had not seen for seven years. Like Nina had said, Zelda had a rather athletic build, reminiscent of her alter ego Sheik from another time. Her muscles were well developed, most likely from the training in self defence she had received from Impa. She wore skin-tight shorts and a skin-tight top exposing her neck, arms, and midriff. Link noticed something, and the two Hylians touched each other at the same time. Link had grabbed Zelda's left forearm while Zelda had placed a palm to Link's chest.

"You have a lot of scars, Link, but this one...it's so...menacing," the princess whispered as she traced a quartet of white lines covering the bottom of his chest and abdomen.

"I got it a couple of years ago. A pack of Wolfos had ambushed me. The leader managed to get me, but I was saved by a pack of wolves," Link replied.

"Wolves?" Zelda questioned.

"Yeah. It was strange seeing them attack what seem to be their own kind, but they were animals, not monsters," the hero explained.

"They say wolves are sacred beasts that serve the Goddess Farore with their ability to hunt down evil. Wolves that lust after the material things of humans are overwhelmed by darkness, thus becoming monsters," she said.

"Neat. I'll keep that in mind. Now tell me since I've told you my scar's story, what happened to your arm?" Link asked as he turned Zelda's forearm to expose its underside.

A thin white line surrounded by vein-like extensions stretched across the delicate skin of the princess.

"I got it when I first began sword training four years ago. It was an accident. I was caught off guard while sparring against one of the knights-in-training. When the cut happened, I panicked because there was so much more blood than I had ever seen before. I accidentally released some of my magic to heal the wound, but because I did not have enough knowledge about the body and white magic, I ended up leaving scars," Zelda explained.

"You didn't show any signs of being able to use magic before I left. Was this when you found out you could use white magic?" Link asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately, because I only thought about making the blood stop, I ended up stitching the wound with magic. Hence, the smaller scars over the main one," the princess replied.

"The healers couldn't do anything to make the scar go away?" the hero questioned.

"No because it had already been touched with my magic. Once a wound is touched with magic, it cannot be treated unless it is continued by the same person. I guess that's another reason why I started wearing gloves besides them being part of the standard princess dress code," Zelda evaluated.

The princess noticed Link's downcast look.

"Link, please don't look like that. None of this could have possibly been your fault. I'm not particularly ashamed of this scar, but my father and Impa decided that it would be in my best interest to keep it concealed. I like to think of it as a secret, one that I have shared with you," Zelda reassured.

Link's expression lifted.

"Hey, love birds! Are we going to have to drag you in?" Nina's voice called out, reminding the two Hylians that they were not alone.

"We can get into the water by ourselves, thank you very much!" Zelda retorted.

The blond haired boy grinned before scooping up the princess into his arms. Zelda put up a wild struggle as she realized what was happening.

"Link! Put me down!" the Hylian yelled.

"As you wish, Malady," Link said with a sly glance.

Link released his hold on Zelda, causing the princess to drop into the water like a rock. The princess merged looking like an angry cat, and she quickly repaid the favor by pulling Link into the water by his ankle. At some point, Nina had completed her revenge on Malon by picking the poor rancher up and chucking her into the water like a small stone, displaying her rather abnormal amount of strength. Needless to say, war was declared in the lake.

/

The Princess of Hyrule sat on the sofa with her notebook in hand, trying to decipher the riddle Impa had given her.

"Even if the shadows seem sinister, they are your friends. In the storage of knowledge, flee through the window at the hour where our world crosses over with the one of our dearly departed. Seek where darkness consumes the light, yet still exists. But be wary as the wrong day or hour will be dreadfully fatal."

She had come to the storage of knowledge, the library, in an effort to channel some inspiration, but it seemed futile. Nina and Malon were laying on the couches, maybe reading, maybe sleeping. Zelda was not quite sure which. Link, however, seemed very interested in a book concerning the history of the knights. Feeling stuffy, the princess opened up the double doored windows of the library.

"Shadows are not evil. In the library, go through the window. Twilight is regarded as the hour in which we can see our dead ones again. What now?" she asked, looking out to the sky slowly turning orange.

"Zelda!" Link's voice cried out.

The princess turned around to ask Link what was wrong, but she saw shadowy claws grip her shoulders and lift her off her feet.

_"Now fly_," a voice whispered.

Howling wind met her ears as she was thrown out the window and plummeted toward the earth. She could not scream and could only look at Link's horrified expression peering out from the window. His face quickly became determined as he also jumped out the window.

"Link!" Malon yelled, getting ready to also follow suit, but she was yanked back by the strength of the blue haired mage.

"Woah, there. I'm not sure how well you would handle a free fall. I'll get us down there...in a safer manner. Grab on!" Nina ordered.

Malon circled her arms around Nina's waist just as the mage started running.

"Hey! How is this any different?" Malon screamed.

"You know, Link and Zelda didn't deny being love birds today," Nina commented.

"What? Wait. Now that I think about it, you're..." the red head began.

The mage took that moment to jump out the window.

"RIIIIGGGGGGGHHHHTT!" the poor rancher screeched.

Having recovered from her initial shock of falling out of the window, Zelda spread her arms and legs apart in an attempt to slow her fall while Link adopted a more streamlined position to catch up with her. Nina hugged Malon close as she dove to catch up to Link and Zelda. Link pointed down at the lake below, and Nina nodded. The four friends held hands to form a diving ring, and as they closed in on the body of water, Nina closed her eyes.

"I summon wings from the feathers of a great spirit!" Nina yelled.

The mage's miniature feathered cape glowed a brilliant white as large wings unfurled, jerking the group and slowing their descent before they landed in the lake with a great splash.


	15. Leviathan

Disclaimer: "

A/N: School happened and a bunch of other personal side projects happened. Sorry! OTL

* * *

_**Chapter Fourteen: Leviathan**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

Sinking suffocation. That was all Zelda felt as her arms flailed in slow motion against the cold water. She cursed her dress as the unconventional design and golden decorational armor weighed her down. If only she was still wearing her swimming clothes from earlier could she then swim to the quickly fading surface. The monarch's slow progress to the surface suddenly halted, and Zelda looked down to find her feet tangled in seaweed. Her lungs clenched, inky darkness slowly filling her vision.

"Link," Zelda pleaded in her mind.

The force of landing in the water had forced the group apart. Nina, Malon, and Link gasped for breath as they broke the surface of the lake for air. Link quickly looked around before his chest constricted painfully.

"Zelda!" Link exclaimed, hearing her voice whisper his name.

The young Hylian took a large breath before diving into the lake once more. Malon and Nina followed his example, and the two found Link trying to untangle Zelda's feet. Nina placed her hand in her right boot and withdrew a small knife. Link noticed the glint and ceased trying to help Zelda to allow Nina to cut the seaweed loose with a quick stroke. He felt the princess stop moving, and when he looked at her face, Link found Zelda's eyes fluttering shut.

The young lad panicked, looking up to the surface of the lake before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Link's blond hair swished as he turned to face Nina. The blue haired woman pointed at Link, then pointed at her lips, and then she finally pointed at Zelda. The hero nearly opened his mouth in surprise before vigorously shaking his head with a deep red blush on his face. Nina grabbed Link's shirt collar with both hands, placing her glaring amber eyes a mere few inches from Link's surprised blue eyes.

Link quickly nodded, and Nina released the Hylian. The young hero gently placed a hand behind Zelda's unsupported head, wrapping his other arm around her waist. His lips gently met Zelda's, pumping air into her lungs, and the monarch's eyes slowly opened. Link withdrew his lips and saw Malon gesturing toward a cave-like structure under the water. He nodded before swimming with Zelda around his shoulders toward the cave with the others following close behind.

The group broke through the surface of the water, gasping for breath while clinging to the cold obsidian shore of the cave. Nina lifted Zelda from Link's back and placed her onto the stone floor. The princess coughed up excess liquid before gulping large quantities of air.

"Are you going to be okay?" Nina asked the slightly shaky monarch.

"Y-Yes. Where are we though?" the princess asked.

The rest of the group climbed onto the shore and wrung out their clothes, taking a moment to observe their new surroundings.

"I was going to ask you. This is your backyard after all," Nina replied.

Zelda shook her head.

"I've never heard of or seen this place before," the princess stated as her eyes scoped out the cave.

"At least there's a torch here. We could be in complete darkness," Malon pointed out.

The group stilled as they realized something was off with Malon's comment.

"Zelda, why would there be a source of light in such a cave? And how is it burning without fuel?" Link asked as he unconsciously moved in front of his childhood friends.

"There must be someone or something that can use magic living in..."

Zelda was cut off as the torch light went out. The cave shook as a low rumble reverberated throughout the underwater structure.

"...here," the princess finished.

"We need to leave now!" Nina hissed.

"What's going on?" Malon whispered, fear creeping into her usually upbeat voice.

"I can sense a very strong source of magic stirring in this cave! Get in the water!" the foreigner ordered.

The cave shook again, and Nina grabbed Malon, throwing her into the water, while Link carried a still weak-kneed Zelda. The red head reemerged, sputtering from the sudden dunk.

"Hey! What's the-"

The rancher stopped midsentence, slowly raising her hand to point at something behind Link. The green clad Hylian felt a wave of humid and warm air hit him. He slowly turned around to meet the large serpentine glowing red eyes of a creature thought to have died out from the land before modern times.

"A...dragon?" Zelda managed to whisper.

It let out a deafening roar, shaking the cave even more.

"Swim! Now!" Nina exclaimed.

Link obeyed without question, jumping into the water with Zelda. The mage followed suit, and the group found themselves in the lake once more. Adrenaline pumped through Zelda's veins as she swam with impressive speed for wearing what she was. Malon reached the surface first before Link dared to turn around.

The dragon was closing in on Nina. Link started to swim toward her, but the mage shook her head before gesturing toward the surface. The stubborn lad shook his head in return, preparing to fight the dragon despite not having a weapon on hand. The mage grit her teeth before chanting a spell in her mind.

The water around Link suddenly dispersed to form an air bubble. Before he could figure out what had happened, Nina grabbed Link by his collar and threw him out of the lake. The adolescent Hylian shot out of the small body of water courtesy of the air bubble spell that negated water resistance. Link landed with a thud on the shore of the lake next to Malon and Zelda.

"Link! What about Nina?" the princess asked.

"She threw me out of the lake before I could help her take care of the dragon!" he exclaimed as he jumped onto his feet, preparing to dive back into the lake.

The large dragon burst out of the center of the lake, causing a large wave to crash into the Hylians on shore.

"Was Nina...eaten?" Malon tentatively asked, her eyes tearing.

"I heard that!"

The three Hylians looked at the dragon to find Nina hanging onto one of its ivory horns. The creature let out a groan and hiss as it shook its head about. The mage managed to hang on despite being disoriented and exhausted.

"Zelda, I don't have any weapons or spell crystals on me. Do you think you can hit it?" Link asked.

"Don't do it!" Nina exclaimed, having heard Link's suggestion.

"Why not? Nina, you're in danger!" Malon cried out.

"Look carefully at its forehead! It's hurt!" the mage replied.

The princess did as she was told, focusing on the thrashing dragon's head. In the center was a demonic spear that practically oozed a sinister aura. The area of entry was blackened with evil.

"That object is a cursed artifact," Zelda muttered.

"A cursed artifact?" Malon asked.

"An object that curses the victim to eventual death. No wonder it's in pain!" Link explained, recalling his brief encounters with said objects during his long journey back to Hyrule.

"We have to get it to calm down so Zelda can remove it! Only a wielder of light magic can break the curse! I've already tried!" Nina yelled, now wrapping her legs around the horn in order to avoid getting thrown off during the increasingly violent thrashing of the creature.

"Zelda, what should we do? I thought dragons were extinct!" the rancher exclaimed as her voice increased in pitch with increasing concern.

"Dragons are sentient beings of great intelligence. They were once said to be the direct servants of the Goddesses. I have heard from Impa that they were also keepers of the songs from ancient times. Maybe it likes music?" the princess suggested.

"Malon, think you can sing something?" Link asked.

"Leave it to me!" Malon replied before clearing her throat.

The familiar tune of Epona's Song drifted through the air, reaching Nina's ears. The dragon slowly stopped its thrashing to sway to the maiden's voice, letting out a low rumble.

"Try Zelda's Lullaby! It might recognize the song of the Royal Family!" Nina suggested.

Malon gave Nina a thumbs up before smoothly transitioning into the soothing melody of the lullaby. The great serpentine creature ceased moving all together, instead choosing to stare at the miniscule humanoids before it with its ruby red eyes. The blue haired mage clinging to the dragon's horn let out a visible sigh of relief before relaxing her hold, but she did so too soon as the cursed spear suddenly sank deeper into the cranium of the beast of its own accord. The dragon let out a deafening roar before bucking Nina off.

"Nina!" Link and Zelda cried as they watched their friend sail through the air before making an unceremonious splash in the lake.

The three Hylians began to panic as they saw Nina float to the surface, unmoving. Waves caused by the thrashing of the great beast threatened to swallow the mage into the dark depths of the lake. Link pulled off his boots and began running at full speed toward the body of water.

"Malon, sing louder!" Link yelled before plunging into the lake.

The rancher began to belt the melody, causing the serpent to calm down enough to decrease the force of the waves. Link arrived just in time to prevent Nina from sinking into the water. Her amber eyes struggled to stay open as Link's voice barely registered in her mind.

"I got you! Come on, you gotta stay awake!"

"Too….tired," Nina weakly whispered.

The dragon suddenly focused its attention upon the two struggling figures in the water. It lowered its body, gliding through the water toward Link and Nina. Malon squeezed Zelda's shoulder as the great beast got closer and closer to their stranded friends. Zelda's pupils dilated in fear as time seemed to slow down, and she screamed.

"Stop!"

The beast ceased its advance before turning to look at Zelda. The slit red eyes stared into fearful blue eyes of royalty as Malon's voice died in apprehension. The eyes seemed to soften as a flicker of recognition glossed over them. Its lips parted.

"**Fiora…"** rumbled a voice.

"I-It spoke," Malon muttered in shock.

"Bring my friends with you and come to me," Zelda gently commanded as she extended her arms as if preparing for an embrace, her soul feeling familiarity with the beast.

The dragon's webbed tail emerged from the water below Link and Nina, surprising the hero holding the unconscious sorceress. The tail stayed suspended above water as the creature made its way toward Zelda before gently lowering onto the shore, allowing Link to hop off with Nina. The Hylian gently laid Nina down to check her vital signs, and much to his relief, he could hear her breathing and sense her pulse. After making sure Nina was alive, Zelda beckoned the creature toward herself. Her hand hesitated inches away from the glistening midnight scales of the creature of legend before she gathered her courage and touched the dragon. The princess felt a pull at her soul, and a vision flickered before her eyes.

A meeting. The first perhaps. A proud serpentine creature towering over a woman. The creature bowed before the woman, and she placed a hand upon the creature's crown. The woman's pale blond hair fluttered in the wind before scene vanished in white.

"I will help you," Zelda whispered as the great beast bowed before her like in the vision.

The princess gripped the spear, whimpering in pain and shedding a tear as the black magic protecting it seared her delicate hands. Zelda drew forth the holy power of the Royal Family and glowed white as the holy magic disintegrated the foul object. In an attempt to take at least one life, the blade of the spear emerged to charge at Zelda. Link reacted within an instant, tackling Zelda to the ground with his body taking the brunt of the impact, and it sank into the ground harmlessly before fading away into dust.

"Zelda, you okay?" Link asked as Zelda looked into his eyes.

"Yes, thank you Link," the princess replied.

"But…your hand," he stated as he looked at the vicious burn mark.

"I'll heal it later. Don't worry," Zelda said.

The young man jumped onto his feet before offering a hand to help Zelda up. She accepted the offer with her uninjured hand, and walked over to the dragon's head resting upon the shore of the lake. It let out a low rumble, nosing Zelda's injured hand and gently licking the wound. Much to everyone's surprise, the burn faded to be replaced by tender skin. The serpent shook its seaweed ridden man before straightening somewhat to hover above the Hylians by a few feet.

"**You are not Fiora…at least not completely. You must be her daughter from the light, Zelda,"** the great dragon muttered in a distinctly male tone.

"Yes, I am Princess Zelda, the late Queen Fiora's daughter," Zelda confirmed.

"**Well met, Daughter of Fiora. I am the Great Leviathan, servant and guardian of the Sheikah,"** the serpent introduced.

"You healed my hand…is there any way for you to help my friend?" the princess pleaded.

"**Unfortunately, your friend's source of injury is of a spiritual nature. Her soul is pulling away from her body. I can do little, but as a holy magic wielder, you should be able to bind her soul to buy her time until a cure can be found. I am sorry, Fiora's treasured one,"** he replied.

"We need to hurry back to the castle," Zelda told Link and Malon.

The two nodded before Malon helped Nina onto Link's back for a piggy back.

"**I thank you for dispelling the darkness, Zelda of the Light. Call me and I shall come to your aid. I look forward to serving you, Daughter of Fiora," **Leviathan rumbled out before sinking back into the depths of the lake.

Zelda watched the creature retreat back into the water, only to find a message in a bottle float to shore and come to a stop in front of her feet. The princess picked it up before running with her childhood friends and an unconscious Nina in a frantic sprint toward the castle. With every second that past, Zelda felt Nina's life force growing dimmer and flickering out like a candle in the darkness.


End file.
